Concerning Bird Flu Virus Mutations Found in Severely Ill Patient

Avian influenza virus mutations found in critically ill patients

Who Lewis asked edited by Dean Visser

Viral samples from a Louisiana patient hospitalized with severe H5N1 bird flu show genetic mutations that make the pathogen more easily spread between humans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. statement published on Thursday.

The mutations were found in samples taken from the patient, but not in the background birds believed to be the source of the infection. This suggests changes that have occurred within the patient. While this development has not changed the CDC’s official risk assessment for the general public, it does indicate that the H5N1 virus is capable of adapting to the human respiratory tract.

“The detection of a severe human case with genetic alterations in a clinical sample highlights the importance of ongoing genomic surveillance of people and animals, containment of avian influenza A(H5) outbreaks in dairy cattle and poultry and preventive measures among people exposed to infected animals or environments,” said the CDC statement.

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On December 18, the CDC confirmed that the Louisiana patient had been hospitalized First known severe H5N1 infection this year in the US. The virus has been circulating among wild birds for several years. It was detected in US dairy cows in March and has since been infected hundreds of flocks across 16 states. The Louisiana patient’s viral sequence matches another strain of the virus called D1.1, which has been detected in poultry and wild birds in the US.

The mutations seen in the Louisiana patient’s samples are limited to the hemagglutinin gene of the virus, which encodes the protein. help the virus attach to cells and contaminate These mutations are rarely seen in people; a few have been reported in serious human cases, all outside the US. One change was detected in viral samples. Canadian teenager who was hospitalized with a severe H5N1 infection in November. The Louisiana patient’s samples did not contain the N1 neuraminidase section of the virus genome or other parts of the pathogen that may make the pathogen less sensitive to antiviral drugs. The sequences are also similar to existing H5N1 strains that could be used to make vaccines if needed.

A total of 65 H5N1 infections in humans have been confirmed They were detected in the US this year. Most have been linked to exposure to contaminated cattle or poultry, and most have been mild. Infections have occurred in several other animals, among others pet cats that can have raw milk or meat is consumed from sick animals. The virus recently killed more than half of the big cats at a wildlife sanctuary in Washington state.