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Scientists identifies new re-assorted influenza virus with pandemic potential

  • Posted By
    10Pointer
  • Categories
    Science & Technology
  • Published
    7th Jul, 2020
  • Scientists have identified a new re-assorted influenza virus from pigs in China that has pandemic potential.
  • The virus has shown ‘increased human infectivity’ in swine industry workers. 
  • The serological exercise showed that the new gene of the H1N1 virus has efficient infectivity and transmissibility in ferret models.
  • The viruses fell into six different genotypes, with the G4 strain becoming predominant since 2016.
  • They found that the G4 strain is a blend of three lineages-
  • one similar to those found in European and Asian birds
  • one linked to the 2009 H1N1 pandemic virus
  • a North American H1N1 triple-reasserting virus that has genes from avian, human, and swine sources
  • The virus, which the researchers call G4 EA H1N1, can grow and multiply in the cells that line the human airways.
  • Tests also showed that any immunity human’s gain from exposure to seasonal flu does not provide protection from G4.
  • It possesses "all the essential hallmarks of being highly adapted to infect humans"


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