With bird flu havingdevastated farmsacross the US , scientists have been searching for the cause why it ’s been able to spread so far and wide . One potential answer has come from across the Atlantic , where researcher analyse a bird grippe outbreak in the Czech Republic conclude that windborne transmission system may have been to blame .

The field of study , which is a preprint and is yet to be peer - reviewed , focused on the mysterious ranch of H5N1 between three farms in the Czech Republic in February 2024 . It start at a duck’s egg farm on February 4 , with the sudden death of around 800 of its dame . By February 7 , the decision was made to kill the entire flock , and a protection and surveillance geographical zone was established around the farm .

How then , did genetically identical breed ofH5N1end up at two unrelated Gallus gallus farms , both 8 klick ( 5 miles ) out and with mellow biosecurity standards , a week later ?

investigator from the State Veterinary Institute Prague coif to retrieve out – and the first matter they eliminated with the possibility that mankind or wild raspberry had carry the virus over . Interviews with managers bring out no possible connexion between the farms , and since there was no substantial organic structure of water near the chicken farms , it was hold “ extremely unlikely ” that it had been transmitted by wild bird .

alternatively , the virus appear to have circulate by the steer ; testing of meteorological data point reveal that there had been near - perfect weather conditions for the virus , emitted in a contaminated plume at the duck farm , to have been run by a steady piece of cake to the chicken farm . Cloud masking stop ultraviolet light from killing the virus particle , while nerveless temperatures allowed them to fly high .

It ’s worth designate out that the researchers did n’t conduct any atmosphere sampling as part of the subject field to confirm the presence of the computer virus , but nonetheless , other experts not imply in the research have supported the determination .

" Meteorological conditions , timing of infection , housing conditions of the animals , susceptibility of the animal populations that became infected and the lack of other epidemiological links between the premiss are supportive of airborne transmission in this case , " Dr Montserrat Torremorell , chair of the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine at the University of Minnesota , who has previously conducted breeze sampling studies during bird flu irruption in the US , toldCIDRAP .

as , others have said the results should be interpreted with a degree of care .

" It essentially says that it could have happened , and I would not dispute that , " Dr David Stallknecht , professor emeritus at the University of Georgia ’s College of Veterinary Medicine , secern CIDRAP . " But to actually come down with concrete proof like you would in an data-based controlled experimentation , there ’s too much go on . "

With the US have seenhuman casesof H5N1 contagion too , the possibility of windborne transmission could also have some peopleconcernedabout what this entail public wellness .

Dr Michael Osterholm , director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota , toldCNNthat while it ’s quite unlikely someone could get infect this means , it could explicate the few cases where the source of contagion was unsung .

“ I cerebrate it ’s very depressed - danger for human race to be infected with the virus like that , but I think it happens . ”

The report has been place to the preprint serverbioRxivand is yet to be peer - reviewed .