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| H5N1 Avian Flu Virus in Birds (Photo: scidev) |
Japanese researchers have discovered a new method that can early detect avian influenza virus variants that may be transmissible between humans.
This new method yields results that are 50 times more accurate than previous methods and takes only 15 minutes.
Japanese scientists have identified a receptor involved in the virus’s entry into cells. Because the receptors in humans and birds differ, researchers can determine the mutations in the H5N1 virus.
The H5N1 virus is inherently difficult to transmit to humans; however, there are concerns that through repeated infections, this virus could mutate into a new strain that is easily transmissible between humans.
