There’s bird flu DNA 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’ DNA found in milk from the grocery store.
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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Libby Denkmann
Host, Soundside
Libby Denkmann joined KUOW in December 2021 as the host of the midday show Soundside. She’s a native Pacific Northwesterner who grew up in Redmond, graduated from the University of Washington and covered local news as a producer and reporter with KIRO Radio.
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Alec Cowan is a producer for Soundside. His interests have brought many eclectic stories to the program, and his segments gravitate toward history, technology, art and design, and ecology.
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