Changes to bird flu virus could make human transmission more likely stat : STAT

The H7N9 bird Flu virus has influenza scientists on edge, due to an unexpected surge of human infections — hundreds of cases — caused by the virus this spring. Bird flu viruses don't spread easily from ferret to ferret; if a modified H7N9 virus did, that would suggest it might do the same in people. Flu viruses attach to receptors found on the cells of their intended victims. Fouchier, who has done work trying to see how H5N1 bird flu viruses could adapt to infect people, was not involved in this study. Bird flu viruses attach to one type of receptor.




Wendy Barclay, a virologist and flu specialist also at Imperial, said the study's findings were important in showing why H7N9 bird flu should be kept under intense surveillance. They focused on the H7 hemagglutanin, a protein on the flu virus surface that allows it to latch onto host cells. The World Health Organization said earlier this year that all bird flu viruses need constant monitoring, warning that their constantly changing nature makes them "a persistent and significant threat to public health". "This study will help us to monitor the risk posed by bird flu in a more informed way, and increasing our knowledge of which changes in bird flu viruses could be potentially dangerous will be very useful in surveillance," said Fiona Culley, an expert in respiratory immunology at Imperial College London. James Gathany/CDC/Handout via REUTERSLONDON, June 15 Scientists have identified three mutations that, if they occurred at the same time in nature, could turn a strain of bird flu now circulating in China into a potential pandemic virus that could spread among people.

New flu test: One drop of blood could save your life -- ScienceDaily

The patented High-risk Influenza Screen Test runs on equipment already available in most pathology laboratories. Australian researchers have developed a world first test to identify which influenza patients will need urgent, life-saving, medical treatment. Previously doctors could only test for influenza infection but didn't know which patients would be at risk of rapid deterioration. The High-risk Influenza Screen Test (HIST) measures 'an early warning signal' released by the patient's body into their blood to 'kick start' their immune system's fight against the infection. Dr Tang says HIST could also be used to track the effectiveness of new drugs in clinical trials by accurately plotting the patient's immune response.


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