A new strain of bird flu has been detected in US dairy cattle, raising concerns about its potential transmission and impact on livestock and public health. The USDA confirmed that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1,

A genotype of highly pathogenic avian influenza previously identified in wild birds has been found for the first time in dairy cattle, the Agriculture Department said Wednesday.

The variant of bird flu that killed a Louisiana resident has now been found in dairy cows. Until now, the human cases of bird flu traced to cattle have been mild, mostly eye infections. But the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed that a strain previously found only in wild birds has turned up in dairy herds in Nevada ‒ raising concerns that future human infections could be more serious.