Lethal bird flu strain detected in cat in Germany

THE deadly strain of bird flu was confirmed yesterday in a cat in northern Germany, the first time the virus has been identified in a mammal in the EU.

The cat was found dead on the northern island of Ruegen, where most of the more than 100 wild birds infected by the H5N1 strain were found, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute said.

The cat was found at the weekend and tested positive for H5N1, laboratory leader Thomas Mettenleiter said.