+ A
A -
DPA
Beijing
Scientists in China have identified a variant of the swine flu virus that has the potential to develop into a human pandemic.
The team led by George Gao from the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in Beijing reported its findings in the journal “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.”
The team wrote that the variant of the H1N1 influenza virus, which circulated as swine flu in 2009, occurs mainly in pigs, but can also infect humans.
The virus variant genotype 4 Eurasian avian-like H1N1 virus, or G4 EA H1N1, shows all the signs of being a possible trigger for a pandemic, the scientists warn.
Studies in pig farms in various Chinese provinces had shown that this variant has been prevalent among animals since 2016. In addition, about one in 10 of 338 pig farm workers examined had antibodies against the pathogen in their blood, leading the team to conclude that people could be infected in principle.
The researchers are concerned that the virus may adapt better to humans and then spread more widely. In addition, immunity to other types of flu does not offer protection against these genotypes.
The scientists therefore strongly recommend closely monitoring its distribution in pigs and humans.
Pigs are considered to be important carriers of influenza viruses because they can infect both birds and humans with them. The swine flu virus, known as H1N1, triggered fears of a global pandemic in 2009, but was quickly brought under control.
Beijing
Scientists in China have identified a variant of the swine flu virus that has the potential to develop into a human pandemic.
The team led by George Gao from the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in Beijing reported its findings in the journal “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.”
The team wrote that the variant of the H1N1 influenza virus, which circulated as swine flu in 2009, occurs mainly in pigs, but can also infect humans.
The virus variant genotype 4 Eurasian avian-like H1N1 virus, or G4 EA H1N1, shows all the signs of being a possible trigger for a pandemic, the scientists warn.
Studies in pig farms in various Chinese provinces had shown that this variant has been prevalent among animals since 2016. In addition, about one in 10 of 338 pig farm workers examined had antibodies against the pathogen in their blood, leading the team to conclude that people could be infected in principle.
The researchers are concerned that the virus may adapt better to humans and then spread more widely. In addition, immunity to other types of flu does not offer protection against these genotypes.
The scientists therefore strongly recommend closely monitoring its distribution in pigs and humans.
Pigs are considered to be important carriers of influenza viruses because they can infect both birds and humans with them. The swine flu virus, known as H1N1, triggered fears of a global pandemic in 2009, but was quickly brought under control.
