A Guangxi Veterinary Research Institute-led team completed a flu surveillance study to document the different types of low pathogenic avian influenza viruses (LPAIVs) in poultry markets. The research was conducted from January 2012 to December 2015 and what was recently published showed that the poultry were carriers of multiple subtypes of influenza virus Hemagluttinin proteins. What was truly concerning was the statistic that 25% of the positive LPAIV samples had more than one flu virus subtype which could mean that the subtypes might be able to recombine or reassort into a more dangerous flu virus. LPAIVs seemed to be the most sucessful in goose samples as opposed to chicken and duck samples. While LPAIVs produce very little pathogenic effect in birds and other poultry, they have potentially serious consequences to humans. With the potential for novel strains of influenza to emerge from these poultry markets, it seems like further research must be done on how successful genetic recombination or reassortment is in the poultry market. Are we in for the next novel avian influenza epidemic? Or is this just a wild goose chase?
-Meley Gebresellassie
Source:
0 Komentar