- (ProMed - We are grateful to Joe Dudley,
who -- in conjunction with posted media reports on avian influenza in dogs
Oct 2004 in Thailand and Mar 2006 in Azerbaijan -- has drawn our attention
to the above-referenced report. - Mod.AS)
-
- Besides cats, the said review addresses
avian influenza in other (non avian) animal species. The following excerpt
appears under the title "Information For Veterinarians" -
-
- Carnivores
-
- Carnivores can become infected, after
consuming infected poultry that succumbed to the disease. To date no H5N1
clinical cases of dogs have been reported but in an unpublished study carried
out in 2005 by the National Institute of Animal Health in Bangkok, researchers
tested 629 village dogs and 111 cats in the Suphan Buri district of central
Thailand. Out of these, 160 dogs and 8 cats had antibodies to H5N1, indicating
that they were infected with the virus or had been infected in the past.
[see comment further].
-
- An equine virus has recently shown up
in dogs. This inter-species re-assortment is not uncommon for type A influenza
viruses.
-
- Pigs
-
- Pigs are known "mixing vessels"
for different influenza virus subtypes and therefore present a risk for
avian influenza virus re-[assorting] with a human influenza virus into
a strain more apt to infect humans. Regarding the present H5N1 subtype,
studies conducted in pigs in Vietnam yielded 8 seropositive animals out
of the 3000 pigs tested. None of the animals had any clinical signs and
it was not possible to isolate any virus
-
- Ruminants
-
- Ruminants are susceptible to influenza
viruses but so far mainly H3N8 have been identified. Regular vaccination
is carried out. Experimentally mice can be infected but their role in natural
transmission has not been established.
-
- _____
-
- ProMED-mail promed@promedmail.org
-
- In view of the significance of possible
involvement of dogs in H5N1 epidemiology and the lack of scientific references,
we have tried to obtain more information on the unpublished study carried
out in 2005 by the National Institute of Animal Health in Bangkok. The
following commentary has been kindly provided by a colleague in Thailand
who spoke with the researchers and had the following comments:
-
- "There are several pieces of information
that need to be clarified.
-
- 1. The cutoff point in this study is
1:40. The scientists are still debating what the real cutoff point for
dogs. They are doing further studies using other methods. Currently they
are in doubt about the high percentage of seroreactivity in the dogs.
-
- 2. This study was done during the 2nd
quarter of 2005 in an area that has a large poultry outbreak.
-
- 3. A possible explanation is that the
dogs and cats eat sick poultry.
-
- 4. While there was a report of a dead
cat with H5 in the 1st round outbreak, there is no report in dogs. Most
are asymptomatic. In conclusion, it is likely that dogs can be infected
by H5 but the [possibility] of spreading the disease to humans is unlikely.
However, the role of spreading disease among dogs or to other poultry deserved
further study."
-
- We hope that these observations will
lead to further studies and conclusions, in Thailand or elsewhere. Field
observations remain the most important source of information -- and which
ProMED-mail would appreciate receiving. At present, the information on
H5N1 in dogs remains anecdotal. - Mods.MPP/AS
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