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Scientists confirm that pasteurisation effectively inactivates influenza viruses
As ‘bird flu’ in cattle raises concerns for milk safety in the US, scientists confirm that pasteurisation effectively inactivates influenza viruses Published: 3 June 2024 A new study has confirmed that pasteurisation temperatures, if applied for industry standard times, should effectively inactivate H5N1 influenza viruses in cows’ milk and render it safe to consume A new study has confirmed that pasteurisation temperatures, if applied for industry standard times, should effectively inactivate H5N1 influenza viruses in cows’ milk and render it safe to consume. The reassuring research – a collaboration between the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute, the Pirbright Institute and the UK Animal & Plant Health Agency, and released as a pre-print on medRxiv – confirms that pasteurised cows’ milk (the form typically sold for human consumption) should have effectively eliminated any influenza virus in it.
Dr Jenna Schafers, a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh Roslin Institute and a joint lead author of the study, said: “This team effort from a consortium of researchers across the UK has shown that pasteurisation temperatures rapidly inactivate H5N1 influenza viruses, which is reassuring. Whilst this infection with high pathogenicity avian influenza virus in dairy cattle is confined to the USA, it is important that we support the global efforts to better understand the disease, the risks it presents to the public and its control. The study was funded by the MRC, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC); the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra, UK); Wellcome; and the devolved Scottish and Welsh governments.
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