Can parakeets catch human influenza?

[Ijistcantsayno]

With flu season in full swing we might have a case on our hands. My daughter is going to the dr tomorrow but, if she has the flu, is it contagious to Sunny or Skye?


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[noodles123]

most sources say no, but a secondary bacterial infection could be spread. Bacteria is a bigger risk.

 

[Ijistcantsayno]

most sources say no, but a secondary bacterial infection could be spread. Bacteria is a bigger risk.

Thank you. That’s what I thought, but figured it’s better to double check.


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[LaManuka]

Thankfully I’ve never passed on anything to my little ones and I’ve had some very nasty bouts of influenza over the years. Even recently when I had a head cold my guys never picked anything up from me, not even Lilly who actually comes running to physically attack me and gets right up in my face if she hears me blowing my nose (gross and disgusting yes, but hilarious at the same time!) I just washed my face and hands a lot to try to keep bacteria levels down so I think if you exercise good general hygiene around the house you’ll be fine

 

[noodles123]

She still should stay away from them/wash hands etc, because it would be easy for her to have a secondary infection and pass it along in her coughing/snot (without even knowing it). Heck, even healthy people can get birds sick if they have certain bacteria in their saliva.

 

[SailBoat]

Hmmm, looks like China has a serious influenza strain rapidly spreading. I see that they have shut-down access to one city with others likely coming.

This one could spread quickly internationally! It will be interesting to see what protocols the international communities will be setting in place in the days and weeks to come.

 

[Laurasea]

It sure seems tricky with viruses that cross species lines.. I'm always careful with hand washing and all when I'm sick...just incase!
Abstract
In China, influenza A(H7N9) virus appeared in 2013, then mutated into a highly pathogenic virus, causing outbreaks among poultry and cases in humans. Since September 2017, extensive use of the corresponding vaccine, H7-Re1, successfully reduced virus prevalence. However, in 2019, a novel antigenic variant emerged, posing considerable economic and public health threats.

 

[Laurasea]

Also I found some more info, tho is talking the h1n1 and avain flu. It's says there is not enough info regarding pet birds. But did say cats can get sick!! Which I didn't know. And that cats may play a role in spreading..
https://www.avma.org/avian-influenza-companion-animals

Also read a blog that said pet birds like parrots even if indoor only are killed if in a cule zone, and that it happened in California.... But I couldn't find a place to cite that....

 

[noodles123]

The more bodies that viruses enter (human/animal, sick or non-sick as a result of exposure), the higher the chance of eventual viral mutation. That is another reason why exposure should be limited--- eventually, a tenacious flu strain could become a bird-strain (even if it isn't currently).

 

[Laurasea]

From CDC
Influenza A viruses have infected many different animals, including ducks, chickens, pigs, whales, horses, and seals. However, certain subtypes of influenza A virus are specific to certain species, except for birds, which are hosts to all known subtypes of influenza A viruses. Currently circulating Influenza A subtypes in humans are H3N2 and H1N1 viruses. Examples of different influenza A virus subtypes that have infected animals to cause outbreaks include H1N1 and H3N2 virus infections of pigs, and H7N7 and H3N8 virus infections of horses.

Influenza A viruses that typically infect and transmit among one animal species sometimes can cross over and cause illness in another species. For example, until 1998, only H1N1 viruses circulated widely in the U.S. pig population. However, in 1998, H3N2 viruses from humans were introduced into the pig population and caused widespread disease among pigs. More recently, H3N8 viruses from horses have crossed over and caused outbreaks in dogs.

Avian influenza A viruses may be transmitted from animals to humans in two main ways:

Directly from birds or from avian influenza A virus-contaminated environments to people.
Through an intermediate host, such as a pig.
Influenza A viruses have eight separate gene segments. The segmented genome allows influenza A viruses from different species to mix and create a new virus if influenza A viruses from two different species infect the same person or animal. For example, if a pig were infected with a human influenza A virus and an avian influenza A virus at the same time, the new replicating viruses could mix existing genetic information (reassortment) and produce a new influenza A virus that had most of the genes from the human virus, but a hemagglutinin gene and/or neuraminidase gene and other genes from the avian virus. The resulting new virus might then be able to infect humans and spread easily from person to person, but it would have surface proteins (hemagglutinin and/or neuraminidase) different than those currently found in influenza viruses that infect humans.

This type of major change in the influenza A viruses is known as “antigenic shift.” Antigenic shift results when a new influenza A virus subtype to which most people have little or no immune protection infects humans. If this new influenza A virus causes illness in people and is transmitted easily from person to person in a sustained manner, an influenza pandemic can occur.

It is possible that the process of genetic reassortment could occur in a person who is co-infected with an avian influenza A virus and a human influenza A virus. The genetic information in these viruses could reassort to create a new influenza A virus with a hemagglutinin gene from the avian virus and other genes from the human virus. Influenza A viruses with a hemagglutinin against which humans have little or no immunity that have reassorted with a human influenza virus are more likely to result in sustained human-to-human transmission and pose a major public health threat of pandemic influenza. Therefore, careful evaluation of influenza A viruses recovered from humans who are infected with avian influenza A viruses is very important to identify reassortment if it occurs.

Although it is unusual for people to get influenza virus infections directly from animals, sporadic human infections and outbreaks caused by certain avian influenza A viruses and swine influenza A viruses have been