H5N1, or bird flu, is startlingly good at adapting. New research from the Texas Biomedical Research Institute found that the strains of bird flu in cattle and in humans already show significant differences based on their hosts, according to a post from the institute on ScienceDaily.

What's happening?

While bird flu had historically been identified within wild bird populations, it was found in dairy cattle in Texas in spring 2024. By early 2025, the virus had spread across cattle herds and even infected several farm workers.

H5N1 has so far mostly produced mild illness and inflammation in humans, but there was a single fatality in January 2025, per the ScienceDaily post. Nevertheless, researchers at Texas Biomed sought to understand how quickly the virus will be able to mutate when it's introduced to a new host species. And the answer seems to be: very quickly.

The study, published in the journal Emerging Microbes and Infections, examined two strains of H5N1 from a human patient and from dairy cattle. After infecting mice with both strains, the researchers found that the human-sourced strain caused more severe disease in the mice, replicated more easily, and existed in higher quantities in brain tissue.

"There are nine mutations in the human strain that were not present in the bovine strain, which suggests they occurred after human infection," said researcher Dr. Luis Martinez-Sobrido.

Why is this research important?

For anyone who's experienced higher-than-usual egg prices in the past several weeks, the threat of bird flu is apparent even without considering its spread to humans. But once that calculation is added to the mix, it's clear why time is of the essence.

"The clock is ticking for the virus to evolve to more easily infect and potentially transmit from human to human, which would be a concern," Dr. Martinez-Sobrido explained.

In good news, however, the team also tested both strains against several FDA-approved antiviral medications — which could be a critical preventive step in reducing transmission before a vaccine is developed — and found that none of the mutations affected the virus' susceptibility to the drugs.

What's being done next?

As the Texas Biomed team continues researching, it'll be looking to identify which specific mutations are responsible for an easier spread and why the virus is mild in some species and lethal in others. All of this will help the researchers to understand the threat more clearly and adapt their preventive methods to be most effective.

Should the government be allowed to control how restaurants run their business? Never 👎 Only in some cases 🧠 Only for chain restaurants 🍔 Yes in all cases 👍 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"A key priority will be to eradicate bird flu from dairy cows to minimize risk of mutations and transmission to people and other species," said researcher Dr. Ahmed Mostafa Elsayed. "Steps that can be taken now include thorough decontamination of milking equipment and more stringent quarantine requirements, which will help eliminate the virus more quickly in cows."

Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.