Jim Lester's exhibition farm in Newfoundland, Canada, experienced the first known outbreak in North America of a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu, H5N1, leading to the infection and death of hundreds of birds.
The spread of the virus down through the Americas has resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of birds, and infections in several mammalian species, including bottlenose dolphins, sea lions, and even cattle in the United States.
Influenza's ability to cause pandemics stems from its modular genome, allowing it to mix genetic material when different strains co-infect a cell. H5N1's history includes causing widespread poultry outbreaks but limited human transmission due to respiratory tract differences.
The virus is now circulating among cattle in the U.S., with at least thirty-four infected herds across nine states. The Food and Drug Administration found virus fragments in one in every five milk samples, indicating significant spread.
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