Mongolian horses are contracting H5N1 under the radar, says new study Scientists find ‘conclusive’ evidence of spillover infections from wild birds in the east Asian country – home to five million horses.
It’s unclear how the Mongolian horses contracted the virus, although millions of other mammals including cats, dogs, skunks, pigs, and even a polar bear have become infected by either consuming birds or coming into contact with their faeces, dropped into their environment as the birds fly above.
If spillover events between wild birds and horses, donkey and other equids become more common, they could potentially become a significant vector for the virus.
The researchers took blood samples from horse herds across Mongolia and found “conclusive” evidence of spillover infections from wild birds.
Horses are silent carriers of H5N1 bird flu, a new study from the University of Glasgow has found.
