H5N1 bird flu virus in Canadian teenager displays mutations demonstrating virus’ risk The virus, which appears not to have spread to anyone else, underwent mutational changes virologists didn’t want to see

https://www.statnews.com/2024/11/18/bird-flu-pandemic-h5n1-virus-mutations-canada-genomic-analysis/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-84An6AYugnpt12IInv63LgpkFXIusKuF1vMExbuCcRl8cJxXCM6AGhzSX0krR5cYwMVpLVL9SN2r6RFtQSr5ME-6lflg&_hsmi=334535734&utm_content=334535734&utm_source=hs_email Genomic analysis of a serious bird flu case in British Columbia brings worrisome news from north of the border: The virus has undergone mutational changes that could make it easier to infect humans. There’s still no evidence that the Canadian teenager, who remains in critical condition, has infected anyone else, my colleague Helen Branswell writes. But the case continues to garner attention for two reasons. First, it’s still unclear how the teen was infected, and while most human cases to date have been mild, this one is severe. More worrisome is the genetic mutation that may have helped the virus’ ability to attach to certain receptors in the human lung. “By no means is this Day 1 of a pandemic,” Scott Hensley, a professor of microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, told Helen. “There’s no indication … of human-to-human spread, which is all good. But this is exactly the scenario that we fear.”