Detection of antibodies against influenza A viruses in cattle

Unexpected outbreaks caused by the H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) in dairy cows in the United States (US) have raised significant veterinary and public health concerns. When and how the H5N1 HPAIV was introduced into dairy cows and the broader epidemiology of influenza A virus (IAV) infections in cattle in the US remain unclear. Herein, we performed a retrospective study to screen more than 1,700 cattle serum samples collected from different bovine breeds in the US from January 2023 to May 2024 using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) targeting the nucleoprotein (NP) to detect IAV infections, and the positive samples were further tested by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay. Results showed that 586 of 1,724 samples (33.99%) from 15 US states were seropositive by the NP ELISA assay, including 78 samples collected in 2024 and 508 samples collected in 2023. Moreover, the HI assay revealed that 45 of these ELISA-positive samples were positive to human seasonal H1N1 and H3N2 and swine H3N2 and H1N2 viruses, and some were positive to two or three tested IAVs. Surprisingly, none of these ELISA-positive samples were HI positive for the circulating bovine H5N1 strain. Our results demonstrate that IAVs other than H5N1 can infect cattle, infections are not limited to dairy cows, and that bovine infections with swine and human IAVs have occurred prior to the H5N1 outbreaks. All results highlight the value in monitoring IAV epidemiology in cattle, as the viruses might adapt to cattle and/or reassort with the currently circulating H5N1 HPAIV, increasing risk to humans.