New flu virus found in seals concerns scientists

Scientists in the United States accept articular a fresh ache of affliction in harbour seals that could potentially appulse beastly and beastly health.

The H3N8 flu has been associated with the deaths of harbour seals in Fresh England aftermost year.

Researchers say the virus may accept acquired from a blazon that had been circulating in birds.

They say the analysis highlights the abeyant for communicable flu to appear from abrupt sources.

Researchers were puzzled by the abstruse deaths from pneumonia of 162 harbour seals about the bank of Fresh England aftermost year.

Autopsies on bristles of the abyssal mammals announce that they died from a blazon of H3N8 affliction A virus that is carefully accompanying to a ache circulating in North American birds back 2002.

One of authors of the analysis cardboard is Prof Ian Lipkin, from Columbia University in the US. He is a acclaimed virus hunter who in the accomplished has helped analyze West Nile virus and Astringent Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). He told the BBC that award this flu virus in seals was an absorbing "new jump".

"It's article that's been circulating for a while in birds, but we've not had this array of die off apropos to this virus in the past. As we've looked at it in some detail, we've begin there accept been mutations in this virus which accredit it to bind to both bird receptors for flu as able-bodied as beastly receptors for flu."

Cause for concern

As able-bodied as mutating to alive in both animals and birds the scientists say this flu has acquired to accomplish it added acceptable to account astringent symptoms. The virus additionally has the adeptness to ambition a protein begin in the beastly respiratory tract.

Dr Anne Moscona of Weill Cornell Medical College in Fresh York City edited the address and says that the fresh virus is a worry.

"There is a affair that we accept a fresh mammalian-transmissable virus to which bodies haven't yet been exposed. It's a aggregate we haven't apparent in ache before."

One of the big apropos for Prof Lipklin is that seals are acting as a bond barge for bacilli in a way that has ahead happened in pigs.

"What was absorbing about this is the seals are acting as an intermerdiary - they accept receptors for both bird flu bacilli and able-bodied as beastly flu viruses, so you accept a host in which this virus can adapt, advance and become added beastly in phenotype and added able of causing ache in mammals.

"That's back we absolutely charge to be anxious that it's activity to be overextension into humans."

The scientists who advised the asleep seals had not doubtable that an infliuenza virus was the account of the die off. The award afraid them and they altercate that it highlights the actuality that a communicable affliction could appear from a cardinal of altered routes.

"Flu could appear from anywhere," said Dr Moscona, "and our address has to be abundant more good than we ahead realised. We charge to be actual active in our adeptness to analyze and accept the abeyant risks airish by fresh bacilli from abrupt sources."