USA: Human case of H5N1 in Texas
A person in the United States has tested positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus. The case was reported by Texas and confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). HPAI has now been confirmed in dairy herds in Michigan (1), Idaho (1), New Mexico (1), Kansas (2), and Texas (7).
The patient became ill following contact with dairy cows presumed to be infected with avian influenza. Their primary symptom was conjunctivitis. The virus isolated from this case belonged to the HA clade 2.3.4.4b of HPAI A(H5N1), genotype B3.13, and was closely related to the virus detected in dairy cattle in Texas.
The Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) stated that the person had contact with dairy cows. Cases of conjunctivitis are often observed in human infections with H7. This marks the second case of avian influenza A(H5N1) identified in a person in the United States, with a previous human case occurring in 2022 in Colorado.
