Amid the rising frequency of bird flu infections in mammals and the recent H5N1 strain infection of dairy cows in the US, a new study on Monday decoded how the virus crosses the species barrier to affect mammals and humans.
The study by EMBL Grenoble in France shows how avian influenza can change to reproduce in mammalian cells.
The viral polymerase enzyme, which is in charge of replication, and the host cell protein ANP32, which controls it, are the main subjects of this study. Cross-species transmission is often inhibited by differences in the ANP32 proteins between birds and mammals; however, viral polymerase mutations can get past this barrier and perhaps cause infections in humans.
“The threat of a new pandemic caused by highly pathogenic, human-adapted avian influenza strains with a high mortality rate needs to be taken seriously,” said Stephen Cusack, senior scientist at EMBL Grenoble who led the study.
“One of the key responses to this threat includes monitoring mutations in the virus in the field. Knowing this structure allows us to interpret these mutations and assess if a strain is on the path of adaptation to infect and transmit between mammals,” Cusack added.