China discovered new H7N9 virus

Chinese scientists have published a new discovery that a variant of the H7N9 avian influenza virus can bind to receptors - the receptor from the external environment - of humans.

And this explains how the H7N9 virus can infect humans. Research by Chinese scientists focuses on how the H7N9 virus infects humans by examining the two most recently reported variants of the virus, the SH-H7N9 and AH-H7N9 discovered once. turns in Shanghai city and Anhui province.

Scientists have found that SH-H7N9 tends to bind to similar receptors in poultry, while AH-H7N9 tends to bind to both similar receptors in poultry and humans. Therefore, AH-H7N9 appeared popular during the outbreak of bird flu, while SH-H7N9 was only discovered from one case.

Photo: thethaovanhoa

"The H7N9 virus variant this year is AH-H7N9," said Shi Yi, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences . It is associated with similar receptors in both poultry and humans. And SH-H7N9 is not as popular and mostly only associated with similar receptors in poultry '.

According to scientists, although AH-H7N9 is more popular than SH-H7N9 and is easily infectious to humans, mucus in human airways can help prevent this virus from spreading from person to person. other.

'There is a lot of mucus on the human respiratory tract mucosa. This mucus has a small molecule, like a receptor in poultry, so it can bind closely to the flu virus and prevent the virus from spreading to others , "Shi Yi added.

Scientists warn that the H7N9 virus needs to be closely monitored in the event of a mutation, because if the mutant virus strain is able to closely bind to human receptors, it will likely cause a pandemic. flu on a large scale.

According to health officials, the H7N9 bird flu has killed 45 people in mainland China since the first human case was confirmed in late March. A total of 134 cases of influenza infection have been reported. reported.