Chinese scientist find origin of H7N9

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   April 23, 2013

Chinese scientists reveal H7N9 flu virus origins

Via China Daily: Chinese scientists reveal H7N9 flu virus origins. 
Scientists have found that the H7N9 flu virus in humans has a similar gene sequence to that of H7N9 found in live poultry, the China Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) said Tuesday. 
Studies were carried out by CAAS Haerbin Veterinary Research Institute and found that the H7N9 flu virus is a combination of genes from various viruses, a CAAS statement said.  
In the H7N9 flu virus, six of its inner genes are from the H9N2 bird flu virus, but origins of both its hemagglutinin (HA) gene and neuraminidase (NA) gene are not clear, the statement said.  
Chen Hualan and Li Chengjun, researchers with the institute, headed the study.  
They collected 970 samples from live poultry markets and farms in Shanghai and Anhui. Twenty of the samples from the markets were positive and all samples from poultry farms were negative.  
Further work should be carried out to detect H7N9 bird flu virus to explore its sources and transmission channels, Chen said.  
The research was published in the latest English version of Chinese Science Bulletin, which is sponsored by Chinese Academy of Sciences and National Natural Science Foundation of China.
The link will take you to the abstract; you can download the full report as a PDF. The last two sentences of the abstract:

Importantly, we observed that the H7N9 viruses isolated from humans had acquired critical mutations that made them more "human-like." It is therefore imperative to take strong measures to control the spread of H7N9 viruses in birds and humans to prevent further threats to human health.

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waterboy Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Valued Member Joined: January 21 2008 Status: Offline Points: 8170	Post Options Post Reply Quote waterboy Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Chinese scientist find origin of H7N9 Posted: April 23 2013 at 6:43pm
	April 23, 2013 Chinese scientists reveal H7N9 flu virus origins Via China Daily: Chinese scientists reveal H7N9 flu virus origins. Scientists have found that the H7N9 flu virus in humans has a similar gene sequence to that of H7N9 found in live poultry, the China Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) said Tuesday. Studies were carried out by CAAS Haerbin Veterinary Research Institute and found that the H7N9 flu virus is a combination of genes from various viruses, a CAAS statement said. In the H7N9 flu virus, six of its inner genes are from the H9N2 bird flu virus, but origins of both its hemagglutinin (HA) gene and neuraminidase (NA) gene are not clear, the statement said. Chen Hualan and Li Chengjun, researchers with the institute, headed the study. They collected 970 samples from live poultry markets and farms in Shanghai and Anhui. Twenty of the samples from the markets were positive and all samples from poultry farms were negative. Further work should be carried out to detect H7N9 bird flu virus to explore its sources and transmission channels, Chen said. The research was published in the latest English version of Chinese Science Bulletin, which is sponsored by Chinese Academy of Sciences and National Natural Science Foundation of China. The link will take you to the abstract; you can download the full report as a PDF. The last two sentences of the abstract: Importantly, we observed that the H7N9 viruses isolated from humans had acquired critical mutations that made them more "human-like." It is therefore imperative to take strong measures to control the spread of H7N9 viruses in birds and humans to prevent further threats to human health.