A genetic analysis suggests the virus mutated inside a Louisiana patient who contracted the nation鈥檚 of the illness,
Scientists believe the mutations may allow the virus to better bind to receptors in the upper airways of humans 鈥� something they say is concerning but not a cause for alarm.
Michael Osterholm, a University of Minnesota infectious disease researcher, likened this binding interaction to a lock and key. To enter a cell, the virus needs to have a key that turns the lock, and this finding means the virus may be changing to have a key that might work.
鈥淚s this an indication that we may be closer to seeing a readily transmitted virus between people? No,鈥� Osterholm said. 鈥淩ight now, this is a key that sits in the lock, but it doesn鈥檛 open the door.鈥�
The virus has been causing sporadic, mostly in the U.S., and nearly all of those infected worked on dairy or poultry farms.
The Louisiana patient was hospitalized in critical condition with severe respiratory symptoms from bird flu after coming in contact with sick and dead birds in a backyard flock. The person, who has not been identified, is older than 65 and has underlying medical problems, officials said earlier this month.
The CDC stressed there has been no known transmission of the virus from the Louisiana patient to anyone else. The agency said its findings about the mutations were 鈥渃oncerning,鈥� but the risk to the general public from the outbreak 鈥渉as not changed and remains low.鈥�
Still, Osterholm said, scientists should continue to follow what鈥檚 happening with mutations carefully.
鈥淭here will be additional influenza pandemics and they could be much worse than we saw with COVID," he said. "We know that the pandemic clock is ticking. We just don鈥檛 know what time it is.鈥�
______
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute鈥檚 Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Laura Ungar, The Associated Press
