Bovine Influenza

Dear Colleagues,

Cattle had not been proposed or established as a reservoir or susceptible host for influenza viruses until the discovery of influenza D in bovines in 2014. The recent observations of human influenza C virus spillover to cattle further strengthen the idea that cattle are susceptible to influenza virus infections. In March 2024, an in-depth clinical investigation of causative agents associated with a mystery disease complex affecting dairy cows in the Texas panhandle region of United States led to the unexpected identification of a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus in diseased dairy cows with a significant drop in milk production. To date, cow influenza H5N1 has been found in at least five states of the U.S., including Texas, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, and Idaho. The sudden emergence of the H5N1 virus in dairy cows provides convincing evidence that cattle are also a susceptible host to the influenza A virus. This new discovery also raises many important questions, such as how the bird influenza virus jumps to dairy cows with high levels of the virus detected in raw milk, and how to protect cattle herds as well as people who work for this important industry. This Special Issue will feature the most recent research and findings on influenza viruses in cattle, including epidemiology and public health, tropism, adaptation to bovines and cross-species transmission, infection biology, evolution, virus–host interactions, immune responses, and vaccine development. In addition, this SI also welcome topics on influenza viruses in other ruminating mammals, including goats, sheep, and deer.

Dr. Dan Wang
Prof. Dr. Feng Li
Guest Editors

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