There’s bird flu RNA in grocery store milk. How sequencing it may help fight avian influenza

The H5N1 bird flu continues to spread to U.S. dairy cows – affecting dozens of herds in at least ten states. The dairy industry has been hesitant to test cows for the virus. The FDA says pasteurized milk is safe to drink. A team of University of Washington and Fred Hutch Cancer Center researchers is working to track the avian influenza by sequencing the virus’ RNA found in milk from the grocery store.

Guests: Pavitra Roychoudhury, research assistant professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine who also works at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center.

Related links:

• STAT: Move over, wastewater. Store-bought milk could be another way to track the bird flu outbreak in cows
• USDA: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) Detections in Livestock
• NPR: Limited testing of raw milk for bird flu leaves safety questions unanswered
• FDA: Updates on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)

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