Bird Flu in Cattle - Strong Evidence the Alleged Infection is a Technical Falsehood

Abstract

The recent reports of bird flu infection in cattle in the U.S. have triggered concerns that (unpasteurized) milk or meat from affected animals could be unsafe for consumption and raised fear the virus could further evolve, spill over to humans, and cause another major pandemic with an expected fatality much higher than for COVID-19. The identification of the viral infection in cattle, based on PCR testing of mild or asymptomatic cases, raises similar questions as during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, the USDA has publicized the genetic information of the bird flu virus, apparently isolated from numerous hosts including birds, cattle, and other mammals.This article gives an independent analysis of what is meant by “positive cases” and the “confirmed” presence of the virus. Specifically, a closer inspection of the genetic analysis reveals several gaps similar to those only recently discovered involving whole-genome sequencing protocols that remain largely unaccounted. The infection in cattle poses an additional challenge via environmentally derived viral genome fragments that these animals are constantly exposed to. The issue of contamination via off-target gene fragments during whole-genome sequencing has previously been widely underappreciated, even in much simpler contexts such as the sequencing of bacterial isolates. The type of contamination in the context of H5N1 and cattle is more complex and does not seem to ever have been considered before and appears technically challenging to resolve, if at all possible.Combined with several other considerations, this gives strong evidence the presumed confirmed positive cases are simply the result of some technological errors. The publicly available genomic data from WGS are likely severely biased and will, therefore, adversely affect any downstream analyses. The article closes with recommendations to help regain public trust in public health agencies and their recommendations.