Doggie Flu in Los Angeles... Are we next?

Here's a Sept 16, 2021 news report about a new respiratory infection outbreak in dogs from the H2N2 Influenza Virus.

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Influenza Viruses

Since 1999, canine H3 influenza A viruses (CIVs) have caused many thousands or millions of respiratory infections in dogs in the United States. While no human infections with CIVs have been reported to date, these viruses could pose a zoonotic risk. Read on to see how the flu virus jumped from horses to dogs, and another strain that jumped from birds to dogs. Are humans next?

Influenza viruses are enveloped viruses with segmented single-stranded RNA genomes that belong to the family Orthomyxoviridae. Currently two strains, H3N8 and H3N2 are spreading across the US, but another flu bug, H3N1, which can infect humans has been found in Southern California dogs. A respiratory outbreak in dogs in a boarding kennel was reported in the southern half of Los Angeles County this week. The initial report estimated that 30-40 dogs showed respiratory signs at the facility, starting in mid-to-late July. Clinical signs reported include coughing, nasal discharge, and dyspnea. The death of one dog is being investigated as potentially being part of the outbreak. As of this report, no human illnesses have been reported. Two cats in the facility also had respiratory signs, but they have not been confirmed to be related to the outbreak. Preliminary PCR testing and sequencing results on 3 dogs, reported yesterday, identified the likely cause as Influenza A, subtype H1N1. Further analysis is underway.

This virus is different than the canine influenza subtypes H3N2 and H3N8 which have caused outbreaks in dogs in Los Angeles County and the elsewhere in the United States before.

Here's the skinny on the early h3n2 and h3n8 serotypes: