Multiple mutations in Indonesian bird flu strain

	Tweet

Multiple mutations have been found in the H5N1 bird flu virus that killed seven family members in Indonesia although scientists are unsure of their significance, a leading science journal said on Thursday.

“The functional significance of the mutations isn’t clear - most of them seem unimportant,” the journal Nature said in a report in the latest issue on Thursday.

An analysis of virus samples from six of the eight members of the family showed 32 mutations accumulated as it spread, according to the confidential research obtained by Nature. The analysis had been presented by virologist Malik Pereis of the University of Hong Kong at a closed meeting of animal and human health experts in Jakarta last month. 

The first infected member of the family was a 37-year-old woman who probably caught the disease from poultry and then transmitted it to relatives before she died.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), which has admitted that the cluster of cases was probably caused by human-to-human transmission, had said in May that there had been no significant mutations in the strain found in the family.

Nature said although the WHO statement was not incorrect, more could have been said about the changes that were found.

“One of the mutations confers resistance to the antiviral drug amantadine, a fact not mentioned in the WHO statement,” the journal said.

The mutations found in the virus from the Indonesian cluster were not significant enough for the virus to spread beyond the family.

Virologists contacted by Nature said part of the reason the significance of the mutations is unclear is because withholding the information has hampered the study of the virus.

Scientists fear the H5N1 virus that has killed more than 100 people and millions of bird since 2003 as it spread from Asia to Europe and Africa could mutate into a strain that could spark a human pandemic. 

RELATED STORIES:
Flurry of H5N1 cases in Indonesia draws concern   New report explains why physicians are reluctant to share patient data   Fifth Indonesian dies of bird flu   Brits to trial bird flu vaccine on humans   Flu vaccines for nursing home workers effective in reducing outbreaks: study   Flu Season Just Beginning, but Could Ramp Up Quickly   Annual Flu Season is Coming – Get Your Flu Shot   Thailand stockpiles anti-flu drugs for bird flu fight   Doctors suspect bird flu killed Vietnamese man   Cambodian bird flu suspect dies in Vietnam   Half-dose flu shots work in adults, study finds   Flu levels off in parts of Canada, officials say

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]