Cardiac complications are among the most common and severe extrapulmonary manifestations of influenza virus infection, yet they are rarely recapitulated in mouse models without immunodeficiency. We fo...

O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) mediates antiviral host immune response. Here, the authors identify a catalytic activity-independent function of OGT in restraining influenza A virus replication by transloc...

The FDA is hosting a workshop on reducing animal testing. The workshop is open to current FDA and NIH employees.

Influenza virus infections remain a significant global health concern. Development of a universal influenza vaccine has been met with challenges, in p…

The human humoral immune response is mediated by antibodies, which are secreted in response to antigen exposure and are critical to protect against infection (1–3). Antibodies display enormous diversi...

The interferon-induced transmembrane protein (IFITM) family includes five IFITMs in humans (IFITM1, 2, 3, 5, and 10). Each of these displays antiviral activity when overexpressed, but only IFITMs 1, 2...

Dr. Ardem Patapoutian says he watches “with deep sadness as the United States’ remarkable scientific enterprise, which took generations of hard work and national investment to build, faces a concerted...

As UW medical scientists, we urge Washingtonians to defend the NIH’s life-saving research funding.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus of the 2.3.4.4b clade has been circulating in North America since 2022 (1–3). On 25 March 2024, a strain in this clade, genotype B3.13, was confirmed to be infecting dairy cows in Texas and Kansas (Fig. 1A). Since then, dairy herds in several other states tested positive for this strain and spillover into dairy workers has followed (4–7). Infections of other domestic and peridomestic animals, such as cats and raccoons, have also occurred on the same premises containing infected cows (7, 8). Notably, the spread of cow H5N1 to poultry flocks has resulted in the culling of millions of birds and the infection of workers involved in culling operations on multiple occasions (9). As of 12 December 2024, over 800 dairy herds in 16 states have had confirmed infections, including three of the five biggest dairy-producing states (Fig. 1B) (10, 11). At least 58 known human cases of H5N1 including those exposed to dairy cows, poultry, or unknown exposure source have been reported by the CDC as of 12 December 2024 (12). Disturbingly, in September, cow H5N1 infections were confirmed in two housemates in Missouri without livestock contact (13, 14). Understanding how cow H5N1 transmits within and between farms is critical for curtailing the outbreak. Below, we discuss knowledge regarding the spread of cow H5N1 between farms, between cows, and the risk to humans.