avian influenza

Take a break from the bench to puzzle and peruse

So far this season, tens of millions of birds have died of disease or been culled, driving up prices of eggs, chicken, and turkey meat.

The Scientist spoke with the UK’s chief veterinary officer, Christine Middlemiss, about this winter’s high bird flu prevalence, the effects of the disease, and efforts to combat it.

Dozens of researchers, including myself, worked for years to uncover that swine flu had leapt to humans from a pig in Mexico in 2009. We learned a lot about influenza evolution, pig farming, and outbreak risk along the way.

Lab and field experiments indicate that aquatic environments could act as reservoirs for the pathogens, which typically do not represent a direct risk to humans.

An influenza virus identified in pigs in China has a concerning mix of genes, but experts say there is no way to know if it will evolve to be transmissible between humans.

Health authorities have ruled out the usual suspects, leading to fears that a novel virus is causing the infections in Hubei Province.

The woman, a resident of southeast China, has since recovered.

What researchers are learning as they sequence, map, and decode species’ genomes

An analysis of stored samples shows that H7N9 precursor H9N2, a virus widespread in chickens, has shown increased fitness in recent years.

In the wake of a handful of biosafety lapses at federal research facilities, the US government is temporarily halting funding for new studies aiming to give novel functions to influenza, SARS, and MERS viruses.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientist who accidentally leaked H5N1 into a benign strain of avian influenza may have been rushing off to a meeting.

Scientists have identified for the first time an avian influenza that infects penguins.

The strain of influenza that caused the 1918 pandemic probably came from birds, a study shows.

Chinese officials report the first two human cases of H10N8 avian influenza, one of which is linked to the death of a 73-year-old woman.

The death of a medical worker in China prompts worries that the virus can spread between humans.

Some gain-of-function influenza research poses a significant public health threat and should be banned.

Genetic diversity helped avian influenza A viruses make the leap from birds to humans, researchers report.