A study has identified a single mutation which could enable a strain of bird flu to more easily attach to human cell receptors, sparking concerns it could spread rapidly among humans.
Study finds single mutation could enable H5N1 strain of bird flu to bind more easily with human cells, sparking concern about rapid spread
It comes as the US has issued a federal order mandating that the national milk supply be tested for bird flu, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told Reuters, as authorities seek to grapple with rapid spread of the virus among dairy herds. One of the authors of the study, James Paulson, told US outlet Newsweek it was “statistically really hard” to get three mutations in nature but it was “orders of magnitude easier to get one”.
Despite concerns over the spread of the virus, human infections are still rare and are mainly found in those with direct contact with contaminated animals and environments.
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