Thousands of humans could die from dog f lu
DOGS have long been known as man’s best friend, but scientists have warned that within a decade they could spread a potentially deadly strain of flu to millions of people.
It is feared that if the canine virus jumps to humans it could spark an outbreak similar to the H1N1 swine flu pandemic of 2009 that killed nearly 250,000 people around the world.
Flu affects dogs in a similar way to humans – it is passed between them through barking, sneezing and coughing, and symptoms include fever, runny nose and exhaustion.
Although it is believed that no owner has ever been infected by their sick dog, researchers have discovered that current canine flu strains originally jumped from birds to pigs – and are mutating fast.
The researchers from the Global Health & Emerging Pathogens Institute at The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, warned last night that domestic dogs could be harbouring the killer disease.
Professor Adolfo GarciaSastre, who led the study, said having a canine flu carrier that ‘is in very close contact to humans’ is a particular concern.
He said: ‘What we have found is another set of viruses that come from swine that are originally avian in origin, and now they are jumping into dogs and have been reassorted with other viruses in dogs.
‘We now have H1N1, H3N2, and H3N8 in dogs. They are starting to interact with each other. This is very reminiscent of what happened in swine ten years before the H1N1 pandemic.’
Previous research has only found these flu viruses in dogs kept in confined spaces, such as kennels and those farmed for meat in China, but the latest study has revealed that pets are becoming a risk.
The H1N1 virus originated in birds and jumped to pigs, and eventually passed on to humans. But dogs, and also horses, have historically been restricted to one or two stable viruses – which do not mutate – known as influenza A.
Fifteen years ago researchers discovered a flu virus in a horse jumping into a dog, which created the first mutating canine influenza virus.
Professor Garcia-Sastre said: ‘The majority of pandemics have been associated with pigs as an intermediate host between avian viruses and human hosts. In this study, we identified influenza viruses jumping from pigs into dogs.’
Pandemics occur when these viruses infect humans. With no prior exposure, most people do not have immunity.
Professor Garcia-Sastre said: ‘If there is a lot of immunity against these viruses they will represent less of a risk. But we now have diversity in a host which is in very close contact to humans.
‘The diversity in dogs has increased so much now that the type of combinations of viruses that can be created in dogs represent potential risk for a virus to jump to a dog into a human.’
‘Very close contact’