Find the gene that makes the H5N1 virus dangerous

According to an article published on the January 26 issue of the American Science, scientists have found a single gene in the H5N1 virus that is believed to be the cause of this virus. to the point of death.

H5N1 virus looked through a microscope (Photo: news / VNN)

The gene was discovered after researchers belonged to a Children's hospital in Memphit, Tennexi state, analyzing samples of about 11,000 flu viruses that Dr. Robert Wester collected around the world since 1976.

These include 7,000 avian, bird, duck, gull and some other flying species.

Early results from genetic analysis showed that all of the bird flu viruses studied had homogeneous genes and none of the viruses caused influenza in people with this gene.

Scientists also said that people infected with H5N1 virus in Vietnam and Thailand have the "bird flu" variant of the flu virus. This is also the case in the 1918 flu epidemic that killed tens of millions of people worldwide.

This study suggests that two unstructured proteins, NS1 and NS2, may play a key role in helping avian influenza viruses adhere to and disrupt certain important cell-building processes.

These two proteins are only formed when flu viruses infect a cell. However, scientists need more research to confirm this finding.