The
bird flu virus infected several people who were also sick with seasonal flu,
risking a genetic mixing of the two that could result in a greater threat.
Recent surveillance has shown that several
people in Cambodia were co-infected with avian influenza and the circulating
flu virus, risking a re-combination event that could generate a greater viral
threat.
"Influenza viruses are continually
changing," Patrick Blair, director of respiratory diseases at the US Naval
Health Research centre in San Diego, said in a press release. Each flu virus
contains genetic material that gives it particular properties. Researchers
worry that the H5N1 strain, commonly called avian influenza, which hasn't been
spreading well between humans, will obtain genetic material from seasonal flu
that will allow it to jump between humans with ease. With a mortality rate of
about 60 percent, a faster rate of spread could make avian flu a major risk.
However, in this case, the infected individuals
recovered and the two strains tested did not show evidence of recombination.
But the identification of such individuals demonstrates that the risk exists.
"Even though there may be a very small chance of this occurring, avian flu
is still percolating in Southeast Asia and it continues to exhibit an
extraordinarily high fatality rate in humans," said Blair.
the-scientist.com
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