SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Bird flu has been making news recently for infecting more than just birds.
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AILSA CHANG: California declared a state of emergency for bird flu. Thirty-six people in this state have tested positive.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #1: The Centers for Disease Control and prevention says it has confirmed that a child in California did not catch bird flu from raw milk, but new cases continue to pop up around the country.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #2: U.S. health officials are warning pet owners, their animals could be at risk of contracting bird flu.
SIMON: Public health officials say the pasteurized milk supply is still safe despite big outbreaks in cows. And most human cases of the disease appear to be mild. But this bird flu does seem to be more deadly in cats. Just last month, 20 big cats died from it in a Washington State sanctuary and a house cat in Oregon did, as well. How safe are our cats? Kristen Coleman is a Ph.D. airborne infectious disease researcher at the University of Maryland. She joins us now. Thanks so much for being with us.
KRISTEN COLEMAN: Thank you for having me.
SIMON: Do we know how these cats got infected?
COLEMAN: The cat in Oregon, as far as I know, was infected from a food source. So there's been a nationwide voluntary recall of that specific raw pet food product. For the big cats, it's likely their food source as well. In those sanctuaries and in zoos, they're primarily fed raw chicken carcasses. But it could also be, you know, they could have gotten it from a bird. But it's more than likely their food source.
SIMON: You've taken, I gather, a very close look at all of this data on cats and bird flu. What do you glean from it?
COLEMAN: So, this recent outbreak of 20 cats in Washington state is very alarming. The only time that we've seen this sort of outbreak occur was about 20 years ago, in 2003 or 2004, in a tiger breeding facility in Thailand. So to have this happen here in the United States, it's very alarming.
SIMON: What could cause it so suddenly?
COLEMAN: Well, the outbreak among the dairy cattle is said to have emerged from this new version of the virus that has recently evolved and been able to spread among wild migratory birds. And now it's infecting mammals. And I guess it was only a matter of time before it started infecting our domestic livestock and poultry, and now, unfortunately, small mammals.
SIMON: Yeah. Small mammals, cats specifically, are they somehow more susceptible or vulnerable, maybe - I should say - than dogs?
COLEMAN: Yeah. So it does seem to be that way. And the answers are really kind of unclear, but we can speculate that it has to do with diet. You know, cats, and wild cats specifically, are hunters. So they hunt wild birds, small rodents. And we know that not just birds can be infected with this avian flu virus. There's actually been detections in deer mice and house mice in three states.
SIMON: Are there steps that cat owners can take to take care of, you know, members of their family, after all?
COLEMAN: Yeah. So first and foremost is, do not touch or allow pets to touch sick or dead animals or animal droppings. Really be vigilant about this 'cause this is serious. Number two is do not consume or feed your pet raw meat or milk. Now, this one's difficult because I know that pet owners are really attached - some of them - are really attached to their raw food diets. Well, it's not safe right now. Stick to the hard kibble for now. Number three, keep a close watch on free-roaming outdoor pets so that they don't get into things that I mentioned previously. And number four is immediately report rabies-like symptoms to a veterinarian. If it seems like your cat is having a difficult time keeping its balance or it's acting kind of funny, it could be bird flu.
SIMON: And do we worry about bird flu being transmitted to some species more than others? I'm thinking, for example, of, well, you know - if I may - pigs, because there's apparently an easier pathway for mutating virus from a pig to a human.
COLEMAN: Sure. So I compare cats to pigs, because pigs have avian influence of virus receptors and human influence of virus receptors. So they can be infected by both a human strain and an avian strain. And then they can swap their surface proteins and out pops and novel virus that our immune systems as humans don't recognize. Well, cats, they also have receptors for both.
SIMON: This is going to seem like a ridiculous question unless you're a cat owner. You know, should we be careful about snuggling with them?
COLEMAN: No, absolutely not. I'm a cat owner as well, and I would not be worried about that. As long as you follow those four simple steps that I've given, you're pretty much safe.
SIMON: Kristen Coleman, airborne Infectious disease scientist at the University of Maryland. Thanks so much for being with us.
COLEMAN: Thank you very much. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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