Scientists are alarmed that a virus called "dog flu" virus is approaching the possibility of transmission to humans. According to MailOnline, this mutated strain of H3N2 avian influenza was initially discovered in dogs in 2006 and has since adapted to become a form of avian influenza that can affect mammals.
Recently, researchers found that the virus can now recognize human receptor cells more effectively, which means it may be close to overcoming the obstacle that has prevented it from transmitting to humans.
Dogs May Serve as Intermediates to Infect Humans With Bird Flu
A study titled "Increased Public Health Threat of Avian-origin H3N2 Influenza Virus Caused by Its Evolution in Dogs," published in eLife by researchers at China Agricultural University in Beijing, has revealed that bird flu H3N2 has become a canine-specific virus.
However, concerns have been raised over its "longer-term pandemic potential" threat to humans. The study found that the virus is gradually becoming better adapted to replicate in human cells as it can recognize human cell receptors. Researchers analyzed swabs from over 4,000 dogs, six of which were intentionally infected with the known strains of dog flu but only suffered mild symptoms, including fever and cough.
Although there have been no reported cases of human infection with canine influenza worldwide, experts warn of the virus' ability to infect other species, such as humans.
Professor James Wood, head of veterinary medicine at the University of Cambridge, told The Telegraph that the bird flu H3 strain had become a dog-specific virus. The virus currently poses no serious health threats to dogs; however, the study has shown that the virus is better adapted to transmission within mammals, increasing concerns over its longer-term pandemic potential in other species, such as humans.
Professor Ian Jones, a professor of virology at the University of Reading, added that the study provides evidence that the virus is evolving, "creeping" towards infecting humans, but that the case for a "threat" is unclear.
H3N2 Virus Infecting Dogs
The study has highlighted the need to monitor the virus as it adapts to different species closely. However, the risk posed by H3N2 remains slight, although concerns have been raised that an outbreak of canine H3N2 could occur at any time.
The virus is spread by direct contact with an infected dog, and sustained transmission has been observed in kennels and day-care centers. Symptoms suffered by dogs infected by the virus include high fever, coughing, and a lack of appetite.
The CDC utilized the Influenza Risk Assessment Tool in 2016 to gauge the potential threat of a canine influenza H3N2 virus pandemic, which was determined to be low. Nevertheless, influenza viruses undergo frequent mutations, leaving the possibility that a canine influenza virus could mutate to infect and easily spread between humans.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the emergence of novel influenza A viruses that humans have not built immunity against poses a significant risk for potential pandemics, such as those originating from animal-specific viruses like avian or swine influenza A.
While the World Health Organization's global surveillance has detected human infections by animal-origin influenza A viruses, including avian or swine flu, there is no record of human infections caused by canine influenza A viruses as of yet.
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