In July 2023, cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) were reported at 2 shelters for stray cats in Seoul, South Korea. The cause of infection was suspected to be improperly sterilized raw food made from domestic duck meat, which was manufactured in South Korea. All viruses isolated from cats at the shelters and from the raw food belonged to HPAI A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b. The gene constellation of all viruses was most similar to that of viruses isolated in Korea in November 2022. Of note, the viruses isolated from infected cats harbored mutations E627K or D701N in polymerase basic 2, which are indicative of adaptation to mammals. Postmortem examination revealed systemic pathologic lesions and the presence of widespread virus in different tissues. Thus, consumption of raw duck meat contaminated with HPAI virus likely caused systemic symptoms and death in cats, indicating the introduction of mammal-adapted mutations of the virus.

2023 年 7 月，韩国首尔的 2 个流浪猫收容所报告了高致病性禽流感 （HPAI） 病例。感染原因被怀疑是韩国制造的国产鸭肉生食消毒不当。从收容所的猫和生食中分离出的所有病毒都属于 HPAI A（H5N1） 分支 2.3.4.4b。所有病毒的基因星座与 2022 年 11 月在韩国分离的病毒最相似。值得注意的是，从受感染的猫身上分离的病毒在聚合酶碱基 2 中携带 E627K 或 D701N 突变，这表明对哺乳动物的适应。尸检显示全身性病理病变和不同组织中广泛存在的病毒。因此，食用受 HPAI 病毒污染的生鸭肉可能会导致猫的全身症状和死亡，这表明引入了病毒的哺乳动物适应突变。