The United States recorded dolphins infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza for the first time

Researchers from the University of Florida, USA said that the autopsy discovered a dolphin infected with a highly virulent bird flu virus.

Research published in the journal Communications Biology notes that this dolphin is the first cetacean recorded to be infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) in North America.

Dolphins in Florida were found to be infected with avian flu virus. (Illustration photo: Unsplash).

In March 2022, the dolphin stranded in a canal in Dixie County, Florida (USA) and died shortly after the rescue team arrived. The dolphin was then preserved and transferred to the University of Florida for examination, Newsweek reported on April 29.

Scientists initially did not suspect the dolphins had bird flu, but after many analyzes discovered that the dolphins had health problems, including encephalitis and leptomeninges disease, both of which are symptoms that appear in animals. Other wild animals infected with avian influenza. In 2022, a number of harbor seals and gray seals also died from this virus, some of them died from neurological symptoms.

The avian influenza virus was first detected in North America in 2021, and has since spread to birds and other mammals . Scientists think the virus can spread to other marine species such as dolphins. However, it is currently unclear why the dolphin in Florida contracted the flu, and more research is needed to get a detailed look.

A global outbreak of avian influenza began in 2020. Although the World Health Organization (WHO) considered the public risk from avian influenza viruses to remain low, the virus has killed millions birds and other wildlife. To date, seals and sea lions are the main mammals affected by the disease.

In the United States, this disease is especially common in marine mammals in the state of Maine . It has also been detected in seals in Washington state, and has spread rapidly in South America.