PLOS Biology

PLOS Biology is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal published by the Public Library of Science (PLOS), a non-profit publisher founded in 2000. Launched in 2003, PLOS Biology covers all aspects of biological Science and is one of the flagship open-access journals in the life sciences. Its open-access model means all published research is freely available without paywalls, making it particularly influential for public health communications where wide access matters. The journal has an impact factor in the range of 8 to 9 and publishes original research articles, reviews, and commentary across molecular biology, ecology, evolutionary biology, and related fields. PLOS is based in San Francisco, California.

PLOS Biology published the study by Emory University researchers that detected H5N1 in submicron aerosol particles in milking-parlour air at 14 California dairy farms, in farm wastewater, and in the exhaled breath of cows . The study's findings — cows shedding virus into milk tanks before showing clinical signs, and virus present in aerosol form rather than only in contact-route secretions — have direct implications for current CDC dairy-worker PPE guidance, which addresses contact transmission but not respiratory aerosol exposure. The journal's open-access publication model means the study is freely available to regulators, employers, and workers alike, rather than sitting behind a subscription paywall.