Less virulent bird flu may infect humans
September 14, 2005Italian researchers say they've determined, for the first time, a less-virulent strain of avian influenza virus might spread from poultry to humans.
Crossing the species barrier is an important step in the development of a flu virus with pandemic potential, the scientists noted. Previous studies have focused on the ability of highly pathogenic bird flu strains, such as H5N1 in Asia, spreading to humans.
The new study, however, shows less pathogenic strains are also capable of jumping to humans.
Isabella Donatelli of Istituto Superiore di Sanita in Rome and colleagues studied outbreaks in northern Italy occurring among poultry between 1999 and 2003.
The investigators said their work provides the first serologic evidence of transmission of low pathogenic strains of avian influenza virus to humans during an outbreak in domestic poultry.
The researchers emphasize their study probably underestimates the real infection rate because blood samples were considered positive only if they repeatedly produced unequivocal positive results using several different serologic techniques.
Details of the study appear in the Oct. 1 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online.
Copyright 2005 by United Press International
-
Deadly bird parasite evolves at exceptionally fast rate
Feb 09, 2012 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
-
Four US swans die from bird flu virus
Feb 02, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
-
24,000 ducks destroyed in Australia after bird flu
Feb 01, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Newly engineered highly transmissible H5N1 strain ignites controversy
Jan 26, 2012 |
5 / 5 (3) |
1
-
Clinical technique sets new standard for speed in battle to prevent pandemic infection
Jan 25, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
-
Engineers build first sub-10-nm carbon nanotube transistor
Feb 01, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (31) |
30
-
Something old, something new: Evolution and the structural divergence of duplicate genes
Jan 31, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
1
-
The hidden nanoworld of ice crystals: Revealing the dynamic behavior of quasi-liquid layers
Jan 30, 2012 |
5 / 5 (3) |
1
-
Stock market network reveals investor clustering
Jan 27, 2012 |
3.9 / 5 (23) |
8
-
Of microchemistry and molecules: Electronic microfluidic device synthesizes biocompatible probes
Jan 26, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
More news stories
A frank discussion of the power law and linking correlation to causation
(PhysOrg.com) -- Michael Stumpf a mathematics professor at Imperial College in London, and Mason Porter a lecturer at Oxford have teamed together to write and publish a perspective piece in Science regarding the in ...
Feb 10, 2012 |
5 / 5 (5) |
8
|
Employers feel no love for unscrupulous practice of 'service sweethearting'
A new study led by two Florida State University marketing professors finds that some frontline service employees who are rewarded for hikes in customer loyalty and satisfaction also may engage in "service ...
Other Sciences / Economics & Business
18 hours ago |
4 / 5 (1) |
7
The question of life in the ancient world
There’s a general feeling that we don’t get the Greeks – ancient or modern. Many, including heads of state like Angela Merkel, visibly shake their head in exasperation, rightly or wrongly, at ...
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
23 hours ago |
1.3 / 5 (3) |
4
Sonic Cradle lands spot in TED exhibition
A Simon Fraser University graduate student project that melds music, meditation and modern technology has landed a rare spot as an exhibit at TEDActive 2012 in Palm Springs, California this month.
20 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
US workers are 'giving away the store,' costing firms billions
Nearly 70 percent of the nation's service employees give away free goods and services – from hamburgers to cable TV – costing companies billions of dollars a year, according to a groundbreaking study.
Other Sciences / Economics & Business
Feb 09, 2012 |
3.3 / 5 (3) |
10
Anonymous knocks CIA website offline (Update)
The website of the Central Intelligence Agency was inaccessible on Friday after the hacker group Anonymous claimed to have knocked it offline.
Small modular reactor design could be a 'SUPERSTAR'
(PhysOrg.com) -- Though most of today's nuclear reactors are cooled by water, we've long known that there are alternatives; in fact, the world's first nuclear-powered electricity in 1951 came from a reactor ...
New power source discovered
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and RMIT University have made a breakthrough in energy storage and power generation.
The power of estrogen -- male snakes attract other males
A new study has shown that boosting the estrogen levels of male garter snakes causes them to secrete the same pheromones that females use to attract suitors, and turned the males into just about the sexiest ...
Advanced power-grid model finds low-cost, low-carbon future in West
(PhysOrg.com) -- The least expensive way for the Western U.S. to reduce greenhouse gas emissions enough to help prevent the worst consequences of global warming is to replace coal with renewable and other ...
Fool's gold may prove an unlikely alternative to overexploited catalytic materials
Catalytic materials, which lower the energy barriers for chemical reactions, are used in everything from the commercial production of chemicals to catalytic converters in car engines. However, with current catalytic materials ...
