Key Points
- The currently circulating H5N1 bird flu strain is developing new mutations. These mutations are increasing their potential to adapt to and infect humans.
- The virus has already caused massive deaths in birds and has jumped to several mammal species.
- The study found that the virus is acquiring the same key mutations as past human pandemic flu strains.
- Virus strains adapted to foxes may pose a higher risk of jumping to humans than those in cattle.
The H5N1 bird flu virus is developing new genetic mutations that are increasing its potential to adapt to humans, a new study warns. The research published in Microbiology Spectrum, led by a team at the Indian Institute of Science, focused on the currently circulating “2.3.4.4b” strain of the virus, which has already caused unprecedented deaths in birds and has jumped to several mammal species.
The major concern is that as the virus spreads among mammals, it is becoming increasingly adept at adapting to them, which could be a stepping stone to a full-blown human pandemic.
The researchers used a computational approach to analyze thousands of protein sequences from the virus found in birds, mammals, and humans. They were looking for specific, rapid genetic changes that could help the virus make the jump to people.
Their findings are worrying. The study identified an increased number of mutations in key viral proteins that help the virus replicate and spread. By analyzing these changes, the team was able to estimate the “human adaptive potential” of the current bird flu strain. They found that this potential is growing.
The research also pinpointed which animals might be the most dangerous “mixing vessels” for the virus. Surprisingly, the study found that virus strains that adapt to foxes seem to have a higher potential to jump to humans than those adapted to cattle.
“This clade is acquiring the same key mutations that pandemic human influenza strains possess, which could be a growing risk,” said one of the study’s authors. The researchers are now calling for enhanced and proactive surveillance measures to monitor these changes and prepare for a potential threat.
