Mysterious Dog Flu Spreading Across The U.S.
New York (United States):
A new and highly contagious canine flu that superficially resembles the familiar kennel cough has sickened and killed dozens of dogs around the country.
There is no evidence the virus poses any threat to humans though it is possible humans may be spreading the pathogen, said Ann E. Hohenhaus, D.V.M., chief of medicine at the Animal Medical Center here. The virus comes from the H3N8 family and is genetically related to the equine influenza strain. However, it is not clear whether this virus jumped species and mutated, said Dr. Hohenhaus. "As with any emerging infectious disease, the whole picture is not clear at this time," Dr. Hohenhaus said in an interview. The CDC believes the risk to humans is low. Not so for dogs, with an estimated fatality rate from 1% to 10%.
So far, the disease has largely affected greyhounds at racetracks, but household pets have also been confirmed as being infected, with anecdotal reports of household dogs dying, Dr. Hohenhaus said. It's possible the virus may be airborne, passed between dogs coming into contact with other dogs, or even passed by humans to dogs, Dr. Hohenhaus said.
It has been difficult for veterinarians to diagnose the disease quickly and help reduce its transmission because the symptoms are so similar to kennel cough, a bacterial infection caused by Bordetella bronchiseptica. "There's no blood test that's quick and easy to help me determine if it's an H3N8 infection," Dr. Hohenhaus said. Veterinarians began investigating the mysterious virus in January 2004 when greyhounds at a Florida racetrack became sick and died. Since then, this canine flu has killed greyhounds at tracks in Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Massachusetts, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Kennels have also been affected. Earlier this summer, about 35 dogs at a kennel in Ossining, N.Y., just north of here, showed signs of the flu, the New York Times reported.
Twenty-five dogs were treated and two were reported to have died. There are also reports that dogs in New Jersey have been infected, Dr. Hohenhaus said. Dogs don't have any immunity to the H3N8 virus, she noted, so it is likely vets will see more dogs become sick and die from this disease as scientists work to determine the reason behind the outbreak. It's also possible that certain types of dogs are more susceptible to this illness than others, Dr. Hohenhaus said.
Sept 23, 2005
Katrina Woznicki, MedPage Today
New York (United States):A new and highly contagious canine flu that superficially resembles the familiar kennel cough has sickened and killed dozens of dogs around the country.
There is no evidence the virus poses any threat to humans though it is possible humans may be spreading the pathogen, said Ann E. Hohenhaus, D.V.M., chief of medicine at the Animal Medical Center here. The virus comes from the H3N8 family and is genetically related to the equine influenza strain. However, it is not clear whether this virus jumped species and mutated, said Dr. Hohenhaus. "As with any emerging infectious disease, the whole picture is not clear at this time," Dr. Hohenhaus said in an interview. The CDC believes the risk to humans is low. Not so for dogs, with an estimated fatality rate from 1% to 10%.
So far, the disease has largely affected greyhounds at racetracks, but household pets have also been confirmed as being infected, with anecdotal reports of household dogs dying, Dr. Hohenhaus said. It's possible the virus may be airborne, passed between dogs coming into contact with other dogs, or even passed by humans to dogs, Dr. Hohenhaus said.
It has been difficult for veterinarians to diagnose the disease quickly and help reduce its transmission because the symptoms are so similar to kennel cough, a bacterial infection caused by Bordetella bronchiseptica. "There's no blood test that's quick and easy to help me determine if it's an H3N8 infection," Dr. Hohenhaus said. Veterinarians began investigating the mysterious virus in January 2004 when greyhounds at a Florida racetrack became sick and died. Since then, this canine flu has killed greyhounds at tracks in Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Massachusetts, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Kennels have also been affected. Earlier this summer, about 35 dogs at a kennel in Ossining, N.Y., just north of here, showed signs of the flu, the New York Times reported.
Twenty-five dogs were treated and two were reported to have died. There are also reports that dogs in New Jersey have been infected, Dr. Hohenhaus said. Dogs don't have any immunity to the H3N8 virus, she noted, so it is likely vets will see more dogs become sick and die from this disease as scientists work to determine the reason behind the outbreak. It's also possible that certain types of dogs are more susceptible to this illness than others, Dr. Hohenhaus said.
Sept 23, 2005
Katrina Woznicki, MedPage Today
