In a shocking development, scientists have issued a bird flu warning and reported a case of H5N1 death in the United States in January 2025, reportedly by contact with the infected chickens. The case has alerted these researchers, especially after finding nine mutations in the H5N1 strain in another infected individual in Texas.
The mutated strain has shown a disturbing rate of replication in human cells, and it is more virulent than that of previous versions, especially in the brain tissues, according to an earlier report by Texas Biomedical Research Institute, Texas Biomed, which appeared in the journal Emerging Microbes & Infections. The mutation seems to raise the virus’s ability to multiply and thus spread and cause inflammation, researchers reported.
Bird Flu Warning: Mutations Raise Public Health Risks After H5N1 Death
The mutated strain was named rHPhTX, and it proved to be significantly more virulent than previous strains, as the experiments on mice showed higher virus replication and more significant quantities in brain tissue. According to Dr. Martinez-Sobrido, one of the lead researchers of the study, nine mutations unique to the human strain were identified, which suggests that these changes occurred post-human infection.
In the past, bird flu mostly targeted animals. The risk for humans has been high due to mammalian-adapted strains such as this one. Issuing bird flu warning, scientists are now demanding increased monitoring of H5N1 strains and urgent measures to eradicate the virus from livestock in order to avoid further transmission to humans.
Hope Through Antivirals
Despite the worrying mutations, researchers said that antiviral medications approved by the US Food and Drug Administration currently in use would remain effective against the mutated H5N1 strain. Antivirals would be the first line of defense if no vaccines are available, since people have no immunity to H5N1 and vaccines against seasonal flu are not of much help.
This underscores the urgent need for global vigilance and research to prevent potential outbreaks as bird flu strains continue to evolve.
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