Implications of the H1N1 Swine Flu Moves Back into Animals

H1N1 was originally referred to as the "Swine" flu. This was due to the H1N1 flu strain moving from swine (pigs) into humans. Strains of diseases moving between animals and humans are not new. Diseases have been doing this for decades. This movement can cause strains to mutate. That is why the story about H1N1 moving back into animals is worth a look.

A cat in Iowa has contracted the H1N1 "swine" flu. Chicago Tribune reports a "13-year-old tabby came down with H1N1 swine flu, proving that humans ill with the flu virus should take pains not to spread it to cats as well as humans." Having worked in public health, this case is surprising and worth some attention. Public health officials did not expect H1N1 strain to move into cats and dogs.

This case adds to the timeline of the current Pandemic. Public health officials first became concerned about a potential pandemic in 2005. At the time, flu was seen in birds worldwide. It affected many different types of birds including chickens, turkeys, and ducks. Public health officials feared this disease would mutate. While this flu strain moved from avians into humans, it did not mutate to produce widespread human to human transmission.

Widespread human to human transmission did not come until 2009. When the current H1N1 strain began moved from swine into humans. Soon after this initial movement, H1N1 began spreading easily between humans. This widespread transmission caused worldwide public health organizations to begin monitoring the situation. H1N1 continued to spread and picked up speed, public health organizations declared a Pandemic.

H1N1 has now come full circle and been transmitted back into animals. It may seem normal for a house cat to contract a disease from their human owners. The Iowa Tabby cat's owners reported that the cat is not allowed outside. The only human the cat has contact with is the owners. These close living quarters would be expected to breed disease transmission. However, it is not normal for a house cat to contract a human flu virus. Mullen quoted veterinarian doctor Kimberly May as saying, "In general, cats are not considered susceptible to human flu viruses, but this cat got H1N1 flu from his owners. There seems to be no doubt about that, and from our understanding, it seems to be the first time a cat caught flu from a human."

This transmission back into a house cat may not indicate anything at all. It is way too early to draw any conclusions. The history of flu strains does raise a few eyebrows. Public health officials have stated that each transmission from humans into animals may cause the strain to mutate. Having worked in a public health situation room, I can say that public health departments are always monitoring such situations. It is way too early to say what will happen. But, this situation is definently worth taking note of.

References
Mullen, William. Cat swine flu: H1N1 latest illness shared by owner, pet. November 2009. Chicago Tribune.com. Retrieved on November 8, 2009 from http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/chi-flu-pets_mullennov08,0,7440266.story
Key Facts About Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) and Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Virus. n.d. Center for Disease Control (CDC). Retrieved on November 8, 2009 from http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/gen-info/facts.htm