Texas Techs BTRL confirmed the first human case of HPAI A (H5N1) transmitted from a dairy cow, marking a considerable turning point in comprehending the infections transmission and prompting immediate and effective cooperation with the CDC for more research and response.The Biological Threat Research Laboratory (BTRL) at Texas Tech University was instrumental in determining the very first case of highly pathogenic bird influenza (HPAI) A (H5N1) being sent from a mammal (dairy cow) to a human.The case was made public in an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Steve Presley, the director of The Institute of Environmental and Human Health (TIEHH) and the BTRL, and Cynthia Reinoso Webb, the biological hazard coordinator at TIEHH, were co-authors on the journal publication.The journal post discusses that in March a farm worker who reported no contact with sick or dead birds, but who was in contact with dairy cattle, started showing signs in the eye and samples were collected by the regional health department to evaluate for potential influenza A.Initial testing of the samples was carried out at the BTRL, which is a part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Laboratory Response Network-Biological (LRN-B) located at TIEHH.Significance of the Case” Its a substantial thing that the infection has jumped from birds to mammals, dairy cows in this case, and then to people,” Presley said.” Being part of the CDC LRN-B, we have the standing capability to evaluate for a lot of biological threats and some that are thought about emergent,” Reinoso Webb explained.The labs standby status enabled Reinoso Webb and the Texas Tech BTRL team to respond quickly to the needs of the regional public health authority.
