U.S. health and agriculture authorities raised alarms after reporting that some dairy cows in Nevada, United States, tested positive for the first time for a variant of the avian influenza virus, which has been circulating among birds and has caused severe cases in humans, according to El Economista.

The infected animals exhibited respiratory symptoms such as coughing and sneezing, marking a significant change in how this microorganism affects cattle. The detection indicates that different forms of the virus, known as Type A-H5N1, have jumped from wild birds to cattle at least twice, Infobae reported.

Experts noted that this new detection raises questions about the broader spread and the challenges of controlling infections in animals and the people working with them.

"I always thought that transmission from a bird to a cow was very rare, but it seems that it is possible," said Richard Webby, an influenza expert at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, as reported by The Associated Press.

With information from Periodic.