Members of a new Pan-Canadian Milk Network hold up milk samples inside a Winnipeg lab. The goal is ongoing milk testing, the researchers say, to spot any fragments of this virus showing up in the Canadian milk supply.
The newly-launched Pan-Canadian Milk Network is conducting ongoing tests of the Canadian milk supply in an effort to spot any fragments of the H5N1 virus in case any dairy cows become infected here amid an unprecedented outbreak of bird flu in herds across the U.S.Members of a new Pan-Canadian Milk Network hold up milk samples inside a Winnipeg lab. Researchers say the goal is to continue testing milk to spot any fragments of the H5N1 bird flu virus in the Canadian milk supply.
A colourized transmission electron micrograph shows Avian influenza A H5N1 viruses grown in MDCK cells . The U.S. is dealing with an avian flu outbreak in dairy cattle, with the virus showing up in close to 70 herds across nine states so far. In Canada, no H5N1 viral fragments have been found in milk. "Our network and testing will act as an early warning system which will enable rapid responses necessary to contain an outbreak should any samples test positive," the team wrote.
A member of Kindrachuk's lab team, virologist and postdoctoral candidate Hannah Wallace, was the lead author on the Pan-Canadian Milk Network's first preprint paper. She stressed that ongoing milk testing has to be a top priority. Veterinarian and researcher Dr. Scott Weese, with the University of Guelph, stressed that at this point, "more eyes on the problem is good."
When it comes to milk, "it would be ideal to have a centralized and co-ordinated approach as there are ways to much more efficiently get a large number of milk samples, through milk processors," Weese said in an email exchange with CBC News. "Retail milk, though, is a simple and relevant indicator."
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