While fears of a bird flu pandemic loom, we learn that horses are silent carriers of the virus. A recent study from the University of Glasgow found that many horses in Mongolia have antibodies against the H5N1 subtype of the influenza A virus (also known as “bird flu”), indicating a previous infection. However, none of the Mongolian animals were declared sick, notes the British daily The Telegraph.
These findings raise serious concerns among those who live and work with horses and other equines, whether American cowboys, Scottish farmers or Mongolian horsemen. By 2024, more than sixty people have already fallen ill after being exposed to infected livestock.
If this virus is worrying, it is because it is widely distributed among domestic and wild birds on all continents. Tests were carried out in Mongolia in the Arkhangai province (center of the country), a humid area with a large population of wild birds, and in the Gobi desert (south of the country), a much less populated dry region. of animals.
More horses than people
However, it is unknown how the Mongolian horses contracted the virus. Last year, Mongolia experienced a deadly winter season known as “dzud”, killing millions of livestock from cold and starvation. It is possible that the horses were forced to feed on the carcasses of dead birds, natural carriers of the virus, while much of the East Asian country’s pastures were frozen. Horses are certainly herbivores, but they eat meat as a last resort.
Once entering a herd, influenza A can be transmitted between animals. This situation is worrying in Mongolia, a country which has five million horses, almost two million more than its human population. Here, these animals are deeply embedded in the culture and economy. The population lives and works in contact with animals, which increases the probability of transmission to humans. The Mongolian horse is used for travel, herding or sport – horse racing is rooted in the country’s nomadic heritage.
Another fear lies in the Mongolian national drink, koumis, made from fermented milk. The fact that horses can be infected with avian flu is alarming given the current situation in North America, where the virus spread rapidly among dairy cattleexplain the researchers behind the investigation.
And then, researchers fear a mutation of H5N1 in the bodies of horses, in contact with other viruses – a process known as vital recombination. Horses can already catch equine influenza, which is endemic in North America. With the rapid spread of avian influenza among livestock in the United States, horses could be co-infected with avian and equine influenza viruses, and thus be responsible for the creation of a new mutant strain. If such a thing happens, governments will need to act quickly to stop the spread.
Source: www.slate.fr
