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In addition, President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination for Health and Human Services, Robert F Kennedy, Jr, is a vocal proponent of raw milk and has said he wants to increase people’s access to unpasteurized milkMultiple tests are used to assess the safety of food items
Understanding how and why different methodologies are used and work, as well as how results fit into the larger picture, is critical to interpret any findings Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is a screening tool used to determine the presence or absence of an organism’s genetic material in a sample A positive qRT-PCR means that the genetic material from the targeted pathogen was detected in the sample, but that does not mean that the sample contains an intact, infectious pathogen That’s because qRT-PCR tests will also detect the residual genetic material from pathogens killed by heat, like pasteurization, or other food safety treatments
Importantly, additional testing is required to determine whether intact pathogen is still present and if it remains infectious, which determines whether there is any risk of illness associated with consuming the product Embryonated Egg Viability Studies are considered the “gold standard” for sensitive detection of active, infectious virus These studies are one of the types of additional tests necessary following PCR testing These studies are done by injecting an embryonated chicken egg with a sample and then evaluating to see whether any active virus replicates
While this provides the most sensitive results, it takes a longer time to complete than other methods Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) Cell Culture is different type of additional test used following PCR testing to detect live, infectious virus This is done by injecting a sample into specific tissue cells to determine whether any live virus is present and replicates This method can usually be done more quickly than embryonated egg viability studies, but it is not as sensitive and may provide false negative results when the amount of virus in the sample is very low
The FDA’s ongoing assessments of the milk safety system continue to confirm that pasteurization is effective at eliminating infectious H5N1 virus in dairy milk In addition to this silo study, the FDA is funding research activities (see the September 26 update) designed to ensure the continued effectiveness of the federal-state milk safety system The FDA will continue to follow a sound, scientific process to inform the agency’s public health decisions related to milk safety during the first-of-its-kind outbreak of H5N1 in dairy cattle The FDA remains committed to providing further updates on research efforts
Today, the FDA is making available an agenda that outlines various research efforts the agency is undertaking to help ensure the safety of our commercial milk supply during the outbreak of Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza (H5N1) virus in dairy cattle Our H5N1 research activities continue to follow stepwise, scientific study methods that are designed to help understand the characteristics of inactivation methods for H5N1 in dairy products, ensure the safety of retail dairy products, and mitigate the impact of this virus using a One Health strategy While our initial assessment of the milk safety system continues to be affirmed by sampling and testing of retail dairy products, there remain a number of collective activities being undertaken to ensure the continued effectiveness of the federal-state milk safety system The FDA will continue to follow a sound scientific process to inform the agency’s public health decisions related to food safety
As outlined in the FDA’s research agenda released today, the FDA is working on multiple efforts to understand the effectiveness of pasteurization and other inactivation methods We have been actively engaged in conducting studies using continuous flow pasteurization equipment, reflective of those in commercial use, to help confirm pasteurization parameters that are effective at inactivating H5N1 HPAI virus during milk processing These ongoing studies will provide the information to validate evidence of the effectiveness of pasteurization in ensuring that no viable HPAI H5N1 virus is present in the commercial milk supply The agency is committing to sharing results from these ongoing studies in the near future
The FDA’s research agenda also highlights ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of retail dairy products Earlier this week, the agency launched a second sampling survey of dairy products available at retail locations nationwide to expand our knowledge of HPAI H5N1 This retail sampling effort is intended to address remaining geographic and product gaps from the initial sampling of the commercial milk supply that the FDA conducted between April and May of this year; results were announced in the agency’s May 10 update indicating that no viable virus was detected in 297 retail samples of milk and milk products The FDA’s second sampling survey is testing approximately 155 dairy products for H5N1 collected at retail locations, including fluid milk and products such as aged raw milk cheese, pasteurized milk and pasteurized cheeses, cream cheese, butter and ice cream
The samples collected include dairy products processed in states that were not included in the agency’s first phase of retail research Additional samples are being taken from areas included in our previous survey to help provide a more representative picture based on the level of dairy product production that occurs in certain regions The FDA, in conjunction with our government partners, is committed to providing further updates around our research efforts and will provide results on the second phase of our ongoing retail sampling survey effort in the near futureCalifornia continues to take swift and comprehensive action in response to the detection of bird flu in dairy cows across the Central Valley, demonstrating a strong commitment to public health and worker safety
Earlier this week, the agency launched a second sampling survey of dairy products available at retail locations nationwide to expand our knowledge of HPAI H5N1. This retail sampling effort is intended to address remaining geographic and product gaps from the initial sampling of the commercial milk supply that the FDA conducted between April and May of this year; results were announced in the agency’s May 10 update indicating that no viable virus was detected in 297 retail samples of milk and milk products. The FDA’s second sampling survey is testing approximately 155 dairy products for H5N1 collected at retail locations, including fluid milk and products such as aged raw milk cheese, pasteurized milk and pasteurized cheeses, cream cheese, butter and ice cream. The samples collected include dairy products processed in states that were not included in the agency’s first phase of retail research. Additional samples are being taken from areas included in our previous survey to help provide a more representative picture based on the level of dairy product production that occurs in certain regions. The FDA, in conjunction with our government partners, is committed to providing further updates around our research efforts and will provide results on the second phase of our ongoing retail sampling survey effort in the near future.California continues to take swift and comprehensive action in response to the detection of bird flu in dairy cows across the Central Valley, demonstrating a strong commitment to public health and worker safety. While the overall risk to the public remains low, the state is prioritizing containment efforts, raising public awareness, and providing resources to those at higher risk. Key initiatives include the distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE), increased testing, and robust surveillance of infected areas.
