The H5N1 subtype of avian influenza has now been confirmed in 3 dead cats and a stone marten (a weasel-like mammal) on the northern German island of Ruegen.
This finding brings to 11 the number of mammalian species that have been naturally or experimentally infected with H5N1. In addition to stone martens and cats, the list includes: humans, pigs, palm civets, Cyanomolgus macques, ferrets, New Zealand white rabbits, leopards, tigers, and rats. A complete list of the species affected by H5N1 can be found on the US Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Health Center’s web site.
The significance of this latest discovery relative to the risk for human infection is unclear according to a statement released by the World Health Organization.
Source:
ProMED
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