Bird flu: Cat first example of mammal infection

The H5N1 strain of bird flu has been confirmed in a cat in Germany, the first time it has been positively identified in the country in a mammal, a national laboratory said today.

The cat was found on the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen, where most of Germany’s more-than 100 cases of H5N1-infected wild birds have been found, the Friedrich Loeffler institute said.

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

He added that it was well established that when cats eat infected birds, they can themselves become infected. There have not, however, been proven cases of the virus moving from cats to humans, he said.

“An infection of humans, which theoretically cannot be ruled out, could probably only occur with very intimate contact to infected animals,” Mettenleiter said.

He called upon pet owners on the island to keep their cats indoors for the time being.

The H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus was also detected today in wild birds in Bavaria, making it the fifth German state to report cases.

The Friedrich Loeffler institute determined that two wild birds found in the southern state tested positive for the strain, the state said.

The first cases of H5N1 were found on Ruegen in mid-February.