A simple answer is that the virus may just need more time to find the right combination of mutations. For the H5N1 avian influenza virus to become pandemic, it would not only need to improve its ...

Scientists have discovered that H5N1, the strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus currently spreading in U.S. dairy cows, only needs a single mutation to readily latch on to human cells ...

This work is published in Science in the paper, “A single mutation in bovine influenza H5N1 hemagglutinin switches specificity to human receptors.. Influenza viruses attach to cells using ...

The mutations in the bird flu, or H5N1, viruses that caused severe infections in British Columbia and Louisiana both occurred in a protein on the surface of the virus that allows it to attach to ...

A colorized electron microscope image shows avian influenza A H5N1 virus particles in yellow. Inset: a person putting on a mask. A single mutation of a strain infecting dairy workers increases the ...

Avian influenza viruses typically require several mutations to adapt and spread among humans, but what happens when just one change can increase the risk of becoming a pandemic virus? A recent study ...

H5N1 bird flu virus in Canadian teenager displays mutations demonstrating virus’ risk. The mutation in the Canadian teenager was at a position known as 226 on the hemagglutinin’s receptor ...

Influenza A viruses have the capacity to swap genes, and this version of H5N1 has picked up a different neuraminidase gene (the N in a flu virus’ name) than the B3.13 viruses have, Webby said.

As the seasonal flu picks up, there are even more opportunities for the bird flu to acquire mutations as the different influenza viruses mix. A 13-year-old girl in British Columbia who was ...

The mutations in the bird flu, or H5N1, viruses that caused severe infections in British Columbia and Louisiana both occurred in a protein on the surface of the virus that allows it to attach to ...