At last, the controversial paper by Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin-Madison on mammalian transmissibility of H5N1 (bird flu) virus through genetic manipulation is published today (May 3) in Nature.

The study looks at droplet transmission of the virus in a ferret animal model. Ferrets are chosen for such studies as they are the best animal models that mimic human influenza effects.

The “principal scientific interest” of the study “arises from the small number [four] of mutations found to be necessary” to make it transmissible, notes the Editorial accompanying the piece. The findings also clearly indicate that the viruses have potential to cause a “human pandemic.”......Read More

Source: The Hindu