An international research team has recently discovered that several specific genetic mutations may lead to the ability of the H7N9 avian influenza virus to be transmitted from person to person. Monitoring these mutations will help prevent the spread of the epidemic in a timely manner.
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| Several genetic mutations or human infection of bird flu |
Avian influenza viruses usually only infect birds, but in recent years it has been found that multiple subtypes can be transmitted from poultry to humans. H7N9 is one of them. The ability of the avian influenza virus to obtain interpersonal infection has not yet been discovered, but if the virus acquires this ability through genetic mutations, it may lead to a pandemic.
To this end, researchers at institutions such as the Scripps Research Institute have analyzed mutations that may occur in the H7N9 viral genome. They focused on genes encoding H7 hemagglutinin on the surface of the virus, a protein that binds the virus to host cells and causes infection.
