A cat parent would not trade their beautiful (and complicated) relationship with their fur baby for the world. But a new study shed light on how pet cats could be as dangerous as pigs as one of the greatest zoonotic threats to public health. Also read | Cat care 101: Top 6 common cat diseases and essential dietary guidelines for prevention
Scientists link domestic cats to public health crisis
The study, published recently in the academic journal Taylor and Francis Online, found that pet cats could provide the bridge that allows H5N1 bird flu to mutate and jump to humans. Pet cats live in our homes, curl up on our sofas and beds, providing opportunities not only to contract human flu strains but also to spread avian viruses back to people.
Beware of pet cats?
Researchers found that cats, like pigs, have cellular receptors that allow them to act as ‘mixing vessels for reassortment of avian and mammalian influenza viruses’. They added that cats, which had recently died of H5N1 bird flu, were found to have ‘unique mutations’ suggestive of ‘potential virus adaptation’.
While pigs are considered threats to public health because their cells allow viruses to mix and mutate, creating new strains capable of causing human pandemics (This is how the 2008/09 H1N1 swine flu pandemic started), but cats may be similar in that sense, per the researchers of the new study.
Cats, they added, frequently interact with humans and other species and could therefore ‘serve as a bridge for cross-species transmission of H5N1 viruses’. “The continued exposure, viral circulation, and adaptation of the H5N1 virus in cats raise significant concerns for transmission and public health,” the study’s authors said.
More about the study
As part of the study, researchers conducted postmortems on 10 cats, one of which was just a six-month-old kitten that died of H5N1 in South Dakota, US, after consuming the remains of dead birds in April this year. Samples taken from their brains, lungs, and stomachs found their cells had receptors which, like pigs, meant they were susceptible to both mammalian and avian forms of influenza.
Researchers said, “Infected cats develop systemic infections and shed the virus through both respiratory and digestive tracts, potentially creating multiple routes of exposure to humans… furthermore, the ability of the virus to persist and adapt in mammalian hosts heightens the risk of evolving into strains with increased transmissibility, posing an emerging zoonotic threat with profound public health implications.”
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
