The 2009 H1N1 Virus Is Genetically Changed Over The Past 1,5 Years

The 2009 H1N1 Virus Is Genetically Changed Over The Past 1,5 Years.
Although the pandemic H1N1 "swine" flu that emerged go the distance jump has stayed genetically secure in humans, researchers in Asia say the virus has undergone genetic changes in pigs during the abide year and a half. The fear is that these genetic changes, or reassortments, could exhibit a more virulent bug. "The particular reassortment we found is not itself likely to be of major someone health risk, but it is an indication of what may be occurring on a wider scale, undetected," said Malik Peiris, an influenza dexterous and co-author of a paper published in the June 18 issue of Science. "Other reassortments may occur, some of which place greater risks".

The findings underscore the importance of monitoring how the influenza virus behaves in pigs who is easy chair and professor of microbiology at the University of Hong Kong and precise director of the university's Pasteur Research Center. "Obviously, there's a lot of evolution going on and whenever you ponder some unstable situation, there's the potential for something new to emerge that could be dangerous," added Dr John Treanor, professor of c physic and of microbiology and immunology at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York.