According to an article published in the American journal “Science” on January 26, scientists have identified a single gene in the H5N1 influenza virus that is believed to be responsible for the virus’s deadly nature.
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H5N1 virus viewed under a microscope (Photo: news/VNN) |
This gene was discovered after researchers from a children’s hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, analyzed samples of approximately 11,000 influenza viruses collected by Dr. Robert Wester from around the world since 1976.
The samples included 7,000 bird flu viruses from chickens, ducks, gulls, and several other flying species.
Initial results from the genetic analysis indicate that all studied bird flu viruses share the same gene, and none of the viruses that cause influenza in humans carry this gene.
Scientists also noted that individuals infected with the H5N1 influenza virus in Vietnam and Thailand possess a variant known as the “avian flu” strain. This is also similar to the case during the 1918 flu pandemic, which resulted in the deaths of tens of millions worldwide.
This research suggests that two non-structural proteins, NS1 and NS2, may play a key role in helping the avian flu virus attach to and disrupt certain essential cellular processes.
These two proteins are only formed when the influenza virus infects a cell. However, scientists need to conduct further research to confirm this finding.
