Newly Discovered Bird Flu Mutation Sparks Global Pandemic Fear

The avian flu virus strain H3N8, found in Chinese poultry farms, is mutating in ways that may heighten its transmissibility among humans, according to a study by researchers from China and Nottingham. Published in Cell, the study used lab mice and ferrets to model human infection and found that this strain can cause severe infections and transmit airborne. 

The exact transmission method from animals to humans was previously unclear, but it's now shown that this strain can replicate in human respiratory cells. There are growing concerns over a potential global epidemic or pandemic, as humans might be vulnerable despite other flu vaccinations. Research teams have identified that a subtype of the avian flu virus, specifically the H3N8 strain, is undergoing significant mutational changes. 

These changes could potentially make the disease more transmissible among humans. The study, recently published in the journal Cell, closely examined a human-derived sample of the H3N8 avian influenza virus. Using laboratory mice and ferrets to emulate human infection, scientists found that this strain of the virus has made several adaptive shifts. 

These alterations allow it to not only cause severe infections in animals but also transmit via the airborne route between them. While infections with the H3N8 avian influenza virus in humans can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome and prove fatal, the exact transmission method from animals to humans has remained largely ambiguous. However, Professor Kin-Chow Chang, of the University of Nottingham, and his team have offered some clarity.

"We've determined that an avian H3N8 virus isolated from a human patient with severe pneumonia was effective in replicating within human bronchial and lung epithelial cells. It proved extremely harmful in mammalian hosts in the lab, and it's capable of airborne transmission through respiratory droplets," Professor Chang said. These epithelial cells line the airways, producing the mucus that lubricates and protects our lungs.

This concerning development is compounded by the fact that, despite potential vaccination against the human H3N2 virus, humans might still be significantly vulnerable to the mutated H3N8 strain. In response to these findings, experts and health professionals are urging for intensified research efforts. Such efforts would closely monitor the continued evolution of this virus in both poultry and human populations, aiming to stave off potential health crises. The study was a collaborative effort involving the University of Nottingham, China Agricultural University in Beijing, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Abstract of the research