US and Japanese scientists recently discovered the 1918 pandemic deadly gene

Researchers in the United States and Japan have recently discovered that a genome formed by three genes may be the culprit leading to the 1918 pandemic, a finding that may contribute to the development of new influenza drugs.

US and Japanese scientists recently discovered the 1918 pandemic deadly gene

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Tokyo in Japan reported in a new issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that they identified these three by mixing samples of 1918 influenza virus variants with samples of seasonal influenza viruses. The genes - PA, PB1 and PB2 - form a genome that allows the influenza virus to enter the lungs and cause pneumonia.



Researchers say that common flu viruses are usually replicated in the upper respiratory tract, such as the mouth, nose, and throat. The flu virus that appeared in 1918 replicated in the upper respiratory tract and in the lungs, causing many patients to contract pneumonia. The autopsy results at the time showed that many young patients who were physically healthy died of severe pneumonia.

The outbreak of the flu in 1918 caused tens of millions of deaths worldwide, also known as the "Spanish flu," and why the epidemic is so deadly is still an incomplete puzzle.