You've probably heard of bird flu, swine flu and even camel flu. But now researchers at the Korea University in Seoul are working on a new type of influenza virus, which is known as canine influenza virus (CIVmv) or dog flu. Their 10-year study has shown that strains of flu can mutate and pass from dogs or cats to people. And because the new strain of pathogen is different from others, it may spread quickly and uncontrollably among people, scientists fear.
Dr. Song and his team tested the risk of infection using ferrets. The cells on which viruses multiply are similar in ferrets and humans. Therefore, they are considered the best method to test how the pathogen strain affects humans. Ferrets infected with the virus suffered from congested airways, coughing, watery eyes, sneezing, fatigue and reduced appetite.
Dog flu is more dangerous for cats
Despite its name, cats can also get dog flu. Because these pets spend a lot of time in close contact with people, scientists fear major epidemics. That's why Dr. Song for increasing observation of flu viruses in pets.
While the flu can be fatal, it only kills a small percentage of infected dogs. Dr. However, Song said that an epidemic he researched at an animal shelter killed 40 percent of cats. The teamis working on a vaccine, but the virus mutates quickly, making this a difficult task.
Dr. Song will present his research at the Society for Microbiology's annual conference in Belfast in April.
