FDA and USDA tested 144 pasteurized dairy products and 23 raw milk cheeses for HPAI bird flu using PCR, detecting only a nonviable virus segment. No virus was cultivated from either product type. Raw milk enzymes may be antiviral, lost in pasteurization. Study funded by USDA-ARS and FDA.
FDA and USDA: 20.1% of 144 pasteurized dairy products were PCR + for bird flu with no live virus, while NONE of 23 raw milk cheeses were PCR + nor grew live virus Bottom line: You can't catch bird flu from dairy products or milk, and RAW milk products were the cleanest Tue, 13 Aug 2024 15:43:30 GMT https://merylnass.substack.com/p/fda-and-usda-201-of-144-pasteurized FDA and USDA purchased and tested 144 pasteurized dairy products and 23 raw milk cheeses from around the US with quantitative real time reverse transcription PCR tests seeking evidence of HPAI bird flu viruses. The PCR test only looks for a small, nonviable segment of virus, in this case part of the matrix gene.
Then the researchers tried to grow out virus using embryonated chicken eggs. As in previous tests, none of the RAW or pasteurized dairy products grew out any bird flu virus.
It has been suggested that enzymes in raw milk are antiviral and these enzymes are destroyed by pasteurization.
Here is the preprint study that Helen Branswell is reporting on for STAT. Below is the STAT article reporting on it, and below that the abstract from the preprint and the funding statement.
Funding Statement This research was supported by US Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Agricultural Research Service Project No. 6040-32000-081-00D and the US Food and Drug Administration InterAgency Agreement 6040-32000-081-037I.