Trouble brewing. South Korean researchers find that dogs can catch avian flu directly from birds Photo: Terra

Researchers in South Korea say dogs can catch avian influenza (AI) directly from birds and may play a part in possible future pandemics.

Daesub Song of Green Cross Veterinary Products Company in Yong-in, South Korea, led a team investigating AI incidents in several dogs kept as pets. The animals were found to be suffering from the H3N2 strain of AI, which genetic analysis showed they had caught from birds. This strain is similar to a flu strain presently circulating among humans.

Writing in their research report, the team said: "From May through September 2007, cases of severe respiratory disease occurred in animals at three veterinary clinics located 10 to 30 km (6 to 18 miles) apart." Other cases were found in a shelter, and the scientists say there is evidence some dogs infected others, raising the possibility that the virus could adapt to a new mammalian host.

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Most of the affected dogs contracted AI through food, after they were fed untreated chicken or duck meat. These are often used to fatten dogs in canine farms or kennels. Other infected dogs caught the virus from live bird markets.

The researchers commented: "Live-bird markets are thought to constitute a missing link in the epidemiology of avian influenza viruses because they bring together numerous hosts, such as chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese and doves, in a high-density setting, which represents an ideal environment for virus interspecies transmission."

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