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Bird flu is changing fast and could become more dangerous to humans, new research from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte suggests, HealthDay News reports.
A team of scientists found that the H5N1 virus, also known as bird flu, is becoming more adept at infecting mammals. That includes cows and, to date, at least 64 people, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As the virus keeps changing, experts worry it could spread more easily to humans.
“An H5N1 vaccine made (for an earlier strain) will have less efficacy,” said lead author Colby Ford in a news release.
Co-author Dan Janies said large amounts of data can be quickly analyzed using artificial intelligence "to assess our preparedness for important problems such as H5N1, which is spreading rapidly to new hosts and regions including American cattle and farmworkers.”
The team found that newer strains of the virus are getting better at avoiding the immune system, which could make past infections or vaccines less protective.
Bird flu is already considered a pandemic among animals. It has infected hundreds of bird species and small mammals.
Now, it’s showing up in larger mammals like cattle.
That shift makes it more likely the virus could spread to people, the scientists say.
The study was recently published in the journal eBioMedicine. Another paper, still undergoing peer-review, shows that a key gene in the virus has changed. This gene helps the virus get inside mammal cells and dodge immune defenses.
Speed is key when studying fast-changing viruses.