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A team of US researchers has revealed evidence of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu infections in two Texas farmworkers not previously confirmed to have the disease, and the investigators also cultured infectious H5N1 virus from milk and cattle samples taken from two Texas dairy farms that previously had H5N1 outbreaks. The research, led by scientists with the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston, was published yesterday on the preprint server medRxiv, meaning that it has not yet been peer-reviewed. It comes as the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed two more dairy farms affected by H5N1 in cows, as well as newly infected mammalian species. (Wappes, 8/1)

Highly pathogenic bird flu was discovered in Van Buren County dairy herd, bringing the total number of Michigan affected dairy herds to 27, state officials announced. (Devereaux, 8/1)

Researchers from Kyushu University have discovered that blowflies, a family of flies strongly attracted to decaying flesh and feces, are carrying the bird flu virus in southern Japan. Their findings, published in Scientific Reports, introduce a potential new route of transmission for bird flu and highlight the need to develop new countermeasures to prevent and control the disease in poultry farms. (8/1)

As health authorities have suspected for some time now, bird flu is consistently being spread between mammals, increasing the risk of sustained outbreaks emerging among humans in the future. (Koumoundouros, 8/2)

The levels of coronavirus in Massachusetts waste water nearly quadrupled over two weeks in July and are now about twice the national average, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new data is based on testing that concluded in late July, according to the agency. (Ellement, 8/1)

Three New Jersey residents tested positive for West Nile Virus, health officials said Thursday. These are the first cases of West Nile Virus in New Jersey so far this year. Health officials said two patients, one person older than 70 and another under 18, have been treated and released. (Zanger, 8/1)

The World Health Organization (WHO) is warning countries about increasing reports of hypervirulent and multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp). ... In contrast to "classic" K pneumoniae, an opportunistic pathogen that is a leading cause of healthcare-associated infections and tends to cause infections in vulnerable, immunocompromised hospitalized patients, hvKp strains can cause severe invasive infections in healthy individuals that develop quickly and spread to various body sites. Infections caused by hvKp strains have been associated with high morbidity and mortality. (Dall, 8/1)

The outbreak may be the first ever documented in marine mammals. (Anthes, 7/25)