Researchers warn that canine coronavirus, which has been linked to human respiratory illness in Southeast Asia, and influenza D, commonly found in cows, deserve closer monitoring to prevent future human outbreaks.<\/p>\n
RT\u2019s Three Key Takeaways:<\/p>\n
Underrecognized Zoonotic Threats: Influenza D virus and canine coronavirus, both originating in animals, have shown signs of human infection and evolution toward wider transmissibility but remain poorly monitored.<\/p>\n
Growing Evidence of Human Exposure: Studies reveal high antibody rates among livestock workers and documented cases of canine coronavirus\u2013related respiratory illness across multiple countries, indicating silent and expanding spread.<\/p>\n
Urgent Need for Preparedness: Researchers warn that improved surveillance, diagnostics, and preventive measures are essential to prevent these emerging viruses from becoming future epidemics or pandemics.<\/p>\n
Two emerging pathogens with animal origins \u2014 influenza D virus and canine coronavirus \u2014 have so far been quietly flying under the radar, but researchers warn conditions are ripe for the viruses to spread more widely among humans, according to an\u00a0article<\/a>\u00a0in Emerging Infectious Diseases.<\/p>\n If surveillance and diagnostics continue to lag, influenza D virus and canine coronavirus have real potential to trigger outbreaks<\/a>, a team of infectious disease experts and authors write.<\/p>\n \u201cOur review of the literature indicates these two viruses pose respiratory disease threats to humans, yet little has been done to respond to or prevent infection from these viruses,\u201d said co-author John Lednicky, PhD, a research professor in the\u00a0Department of Environmental and Global Health<\/a>\u00a0at the University of Florida\u2019s\u00a0College of Public Health and Health Professions<\/a>. \u201cIf these viruses evolve the capacity to easily transmit person to person, they may be able to cause epidemics or pandemics since most people won\u2019t have immunity to them.\u201d<\/p>\n Since its discovery in 2011, influenza D virus has been associated with infections in pigs and cows, but it has also been found in many other livestock and wildlife species, including poultry, deer, giraffes and kangaroos. Influenza D virus is believed to contribute to bovine respiratory disease, estimated to cost the US cattle industry $1 billion a year.<\/p>\n The authors\u2019 previous studies of cattle workers in Colorado and Florida found that up to 97% of people working with herds carry influenza D virus antibodies, suggesting the workers had been exposed to the virus. So far, these infections are known to be subclinical, meaning they have not caused symptoms of illness. However, scientists say influenza D virus bears the hallmarks of a virus primed to rapidly evolve. Indeed, a strain of influenza D recently isolated in China has developed the capacity for human-to-human transmission.<\/p>\n \u201cSo far, influenza D virus has not been associated with serious infections in humans,\u201d said Lednicky, a member of\u00a0UF\u2019s Emerging Pathogens Institute<\/a>. \u201cHowever, canine coronavirus has, but diagnostic tests are not routinely performed for the virus so the extent at which the virus affects the population at large is not known.\u201d<\/p>\n Canine coronavirus, or CCoV, can cause gastrointestinal illness in dogs, and is not the same virus as SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Documented canine coronavirus infections in humans, while still rare, have been linked to pneumonia hospitalizations in Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n