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A strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) that mutated in pigs in Indonesia has acquired the ability to infect humans, researchers have found.
The discovery was made by a team led by virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Tokyo's Institute of Medical Science.
"There are concerns that a highly pathogenic flu virus which can easily be transmitted to humans could spread without being noticed," Kawaoka said. "Pigs must be tested for viruses even if they don't show symptoms."
Kawaoka and other Japanese researchers, in cooperation with Indonesia's Airlangga University, examined nasal, fecal and serum samples from 702 randomly chosen pigs in 14 provinces from 2005 to 2009.
Of pigs examined from 2005 to 2007, 7.4 percent yielded avian flu strains, which further studies showed were from an outbreak among poultry in the neighborhood.
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201009010306.html
The discovery was made by a team led by virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Tokyo's Institute of Medical Science.
"There are concerns that a highly pathogenic flu virus which can easily be transmitted to humans could spread without being noticed," Kawaoka said. "Pigs must be tested for viruses even if they don't show symptoms."
Kawaoka and other Japanese researchers, in cooperation with Indonesia's Airlangga University, examined nasal, fecal and serum samples from 702 randomly chosen pigs in 14 provinces from 2005 to 2009.
Of pigs examined from 2005 to 2007, 7.4 percent yielded avian flu strains, which further studies showed were from an outbreak among poultry in the neighborhood.
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201009010306.html
