Deadly ingredient in H5N1

Researchers at St Jude Children's Hospital learned about genes that make up more than 2000 different viruses, from birds, from humans and other animals.

The results of the study, published in the journal Science Science, show a significant difference between the types of bird flu and seasonal influenza in humans.

This difference may be the cause of deaths from bird flu.

Currently, the H5N1 avian influenza virus, raging in the Far East, Central Asia and Turkey, is a deadly virus. Up to half of patients infected with this virus died.

However, this virus does not spread much. The fear of the emergence of a new, more infectious variant has been drowned out by the hope that the virus is also becoming less dangerous.

However, new research shows that the situation is not so.

The infection depends on the protein components of the virus, H and N components, which are used to name the virus, and researchers have discovered changes in another molecule. , called NS1, can alter the virus.

A small part of NS1 in avian influenza virus has the ability to alter cellular functions.

In the seasonal flu virus in people without this ingredient.

It is worth mentioning that in all cases of human infection with H5N1 infection, there is also evidence of the existence of this destructive component, including in virus samples that once killed about 30 million people. back in the pandemic of 1918 before.

Currently, it is concerned that the avian influenza virus variant is more contagious , does not affect the composition of NS1 protein, and so the avian influenza virus is still as deadly as it was.