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Dogs infected with swine flu - China diagnosed H1N1 in two dogs
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Dogs test positive for H1N1(swine flu) in China
Two dogs in China have been diagnosed with H1N1 virus (swine flu), adding to the growing list of species that can be infected with the H1N1 virus.
* pigs
* turkeys
* ferrets
* cats
* dogs
The College of Veterinary Medicine's clinic at the China Agricultural University announced that two out of 52 samples from sick dogs had tested positive for the H1N1 virus. According to China's Ministry of Agriculture the virus found in the two samples is a 99 percent match for the H1N1 virus people are being infected with.
Health experts in China say pet owners do not need to panic. Feng Zijian, Emergency Response director at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said
The role of dogs in the virus' mutation is still unknown. However, pigs provide a better environment for virus mutation.
Feng Zijian made the following points:
* If animals can get infected from humans, then the reverse is also true.
* But there is no need to panic in this case.
* So far, across the world, the virus has only been passed from humans to pets.
* Only when the virus mutates within dogs will it be a new threat to humans.
A report this month from the World Health Organization (WHO), "Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 briefing note 15" says close monitoring is needed
Concern has traditionally focused on swine, which are susceptible to infections from human and avian influenza viruses as well as swine influenza viruses. As influenza viruses have eight neatly segmented genes, swine could theoretically operate as a viral “mixing vessel” for the exchange of genetic material when an animal is co-infected with different viruses. Such an event could lead to changes in the genetic makeup of the H1N1 virus or result in a novel influenza virus of unknown public health significance.
and
These recent findings further suggest that influenza A viruses in animals and humans increasingly behave like a pool of genes circulating among multiple hosts, and that the potential exists for novel influenza viruses to be generated in animals other than swine. This situation reinforces the need for close monitoring and close collaboration between public health and veterinary authorities.
The Beijing Agricultural Bureau indicates the dogs were probably infected by their owners and are contagious to other dogs. The H1N1 flu virus could potentially spread between dogs through sneezing, just as the H3N8 dog flu virus can be spread.
China Daily reports Infected dogs pose no threat
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