Researchers from Cornell University have determined how cows infected with H5N1 bird flu were able to spread the virus to other cows and mammals. In the study published in the journal Nature on July 24, scientists used genomic data, computer modeling, and data about the virus’s spread to show how infected cows from Texas spread bird flu to otherwise healthy cows in Ohio, as well as cats, wild birds, and a raccoon in the area. The raccoon and the cats were likely infected from drinking raw milk from the infected cows, while the wild birds may have contracted the virus from environmental contamination or aerosols kicked up into the air during milking or cleaning.

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