Spanish flu-like virus with pandemic potential could emerge in bird populations

(Cell Press) Emerging bird flu viruses continually threaten to cause pandemics, underscoring the need for better ways to predict potential outbreaks. A new study shows that circulating bird flu viruses are very similar to the flu virus that caused the 1918 pandemic -- the most devastating disease outbreak ever recorded. Only a few amino acids separate viral proteins currently found in bird populations from proteins in the 1918 virus, suggesting that a similar deadly virus may emerge.
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news