Approximately 60% of persons known to have been infected by the avian influenza A(H5N1) virus have died from their illness. To date, most known human infections have occurred through contact with, or exposure to, infected birds. The prospect that H5N1 viruses circulating in nature might evolve and acquire the ability to spread with ease from person to person is a serious public health concern.
Research on the genetic basis of the transmissibility of H5N1 by two groups (one in the Netherlands and the other a joint Japan/USA group) resulted in laboratory-modified H5N1 viruses capable of respiratory transmission between ferrets. These mammals are often used in influenza research because, in some respects, ferret influenza infection shows similarities to human influenza infection. The results of these two studies demonstrate that relatively few genetic changes in H5N1 viruses can enable transmission via the respiratory route in these animals, and, in turn, suggest that H5N1 viruses could become more easily transmissible from person to person. The findings suggest that such changes could occur in nature, but do not provide an estimate of the likelihood that they will occur.
Report on technical consultation on H5N1 research issues
- March 12, 2012
- | Filed under Europe, North America, Report, and 2001-2025
