Breakthrough in H7N9 study a boost for bird flu drug research in Hong Kong
Gene mutations found to be behind the rise of the infectious strain
A team of researchers at the University of Hong Kong has cracked the mystery behind how the deadly H7N9 virus has attained a higher ability to infect humans while also being contagious among avian species, placing the city at the forefront of bird flu drug development.
Scientists analysed the DNA of H7N9 virus strains collected since the 2013 outbreak, and identified a gene mutation that allowed it to adapt to human cells.
The research, headed by Professor Chen Honglin of the university’s State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, is published today in the international scientific journal Nature Communications.
Chen said the findings could “help monitor the emergence and transmission of the bird flu virus in humans and prevent human-to-human infection, as well as provide a new target for antivirus drug development”.
The first confirmed infections of the new H7N9 strain of bird flu were reported on mainland China in March 2013. It began to spread across the country and even overseas.
A latest wave surfaced in mainland China in October and Hong Kong has recorded five imported cases so far.