Raw milk containing bird flu virus can make mice sick, study finds

Findings strengthen evidence that virus-laden raw milk may be dangerous to humans.

Unpasteurized Milk contaminated with H5N1, the avian flu virus that has appeared in dairy herds in nine states, has been found to rapidly sicken mice, affecting multiple organs, according to a study released Friday.< /p>

The results are not entirely surprising: at least half a dozen cats died after consuming raw milk containing the virus. But new data confirms that virus-laden raw milk may be dangerous to other mammals, including humans.

"Don't drink raw milk, such is the message," said Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a virologist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, who led the study.

Most commercial milk in the U.S. -United is pasteurized. The Food and Drug Administration found traces of the virus in 20 percent of dairy products sampled on grocery store shelves nationwide. Authorities found no signs of infectious virus in these samples and said the pasteurized milk is safe to consume.

But the findings have global implications, said Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, director of the Boston University Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, who was not involved in the work.

“If the epidemic becomes more "common in cows, there are other places where there is no centralized pasteurization," she warned, "and there are many more rural communities drinking milk. »

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