|
Two of those mutations are already found frequently in strains of the virus. And the other three could arise during infection of people or other mammals, a new mathematical analysis in Science concluded. But the likelihood is unclear. An author of the analysis compared the situation to earthquake prediction. "We now know we're living on a fault line," Derek Smith of Cambridge University and the Erasmus center told reporters. "It's an active fault line. It really could do something." Fouchier said the ferret results don't give a clear answer about how deadly an altered virus would be in people. Eddy Holmes of Penn State University, who studies the evolution of flu viruses but did not participate in the Fouchier or Kawaoka studies, said those works present the first good experimental evidence about how the bird flu virus could mutate to become more easily spread between people. The studies are "a useful frame of reference" for studying that question, but not the final answer, he said. ___ Online: Journal Science: http://www.sciencemag.org/
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
News | Sports | Business | Rural Review | Teaching & Learning | Home and Family | Tourism | Obituaries
Community |
Perspectives
|
Law & Courts |
Leisure Time
|
Spiritual Life |
Health & Fitness |
Teen Scene
Calendar
|
Letters to the Editor