Pécs virologists examine UHT milk to predict epidemics

The epidemics of recent years have highlighted that fast and effective forecasting systems are crucial in health protection. Wastewater tests have already proven their effectiveness in tracking COVID-19 and other viruses, and the analysis of ultra-heat-treated (UHT) milk has also been in the spotlight as an innovative method, the PTE statement said.

They added that previous research had already proven that UHT milk – although it no longer contains infectious pathogens – preserves the genetic traces of viruses that cause diseases, thus creating an opportunity for early detection of the spread of epidemics.

According to the communiqué, the recent bird flu epidemic in the United States, which was spreading among cattle, was also detected thanks to this novel approach, and as a result, it became clear that milk can be a similarly valuable source of information in epidemiological research, as wastewater testing was previously.

The experts from Pécs were therefore the first in Europe to launch the Milk Monitor project, within the framework of which the researchers set the goal of monitoring various viral diseases – transmitted from animals to humans – and creating an early warning system for epidemics arising from them, with the aim that their results could also form a new line of defense for the agricultural sector.