Bird flu

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Bird flu may refer to:
Biology and disease
Avian influenza - another name for bird flu
!"# - the current type of bird flu virus that is the $orst pandemic threat
%nfluenza A virus - the species of virus that causes all bird flu and one of the
species that causes flu in humans and other animals&
Avian influenza
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Flu
%nfluenza
'irus
Avian
influenza
Flu season
(esearch
'accine
)reatment
*enome pro+ect
!"# strain
For the H5N1 subtype of Avian influenza see H5N1.
Avian influenza, sometimes Avian flu, and commonly Bird flu refers to ,influenza
caused by viruses adapted to birds&,
-#.-/.-0.-1.-!.-2.-3.
,Bird flu, is a phrase similar to ,4$ine flu,, ,5og flu,, ,orse flu,, or ,uman flu, in
that it refers to an illness caused by any of many different strains of influenza viruses that
have adapted to a specific host& All kno$n viruses that cause influenza in birds belong to
the species: Influenza A virus& All subtypes 6but not all strains of all subtypes7 of
%nfluenza A virus are adapted to birds, $hich is $hy for many purposes avian flu virus is
the %nfluenza A virus 6note that the ,A, does not stand for ,avian,7&
Adaptation is non-e8clusive& Being adapted to$ards a particular species does not
preclude adaptations, or partial adaptations, to$ards infecting different species& %n this
$ay strains of influenza viruses are adapted to multiple species, though may be
preferential to$ards a particular host& For e8ample, viruses responsible for influenza
pandemics are adapted to both humans and birds& (ecent influenza research into the
genes of the 4panish Flu virus sho$s it to have genes adapted to both birds and humans9
$ith more of its genes from birds than less deadly later pandemic strains&
Contents
-hide.
# *enetics
/ %nfluenza pandemic
0 !"#
1 4ee also
! (eferences
2 :8ternal links
[edit] Genetics
*enetic factors in distinguishing bet$een ,human flu viruses, and ,avian flu viruses,
include:
PB2: 6("A polymerase7: Amino acid 6or residue7 position 2/3 in the ;B/ protein
encoded by the ;B/ ("A gene& <ntil !"#, all kno$n avian influenza viruses
had a *lu at position 2/3, $hile all human influenza viruses had a lysine&
HA: 6hemagglutinin7: Avian influenza A bind alpha /-0 sialic acid receptors
$hile human influenza A bind alpha /-2 sialic acid receptors& 4$ine influenza
viruses have the ability to bind both types of sialic acid receptors& emagglutinin
is the ma+or antigen of the virus against $hich neutralizing antibodies are
produced and influenza virus epidemics are associated $ith changes in its
antigenic structure&
[edit] Influenza pandemic
For more details on this topic, see Influenza pandemic.
;andemic flu viruses have some avian flu virus genes and usually some human flu virus
genes& Both the /"/ and 0"/ pandemic strains contained genes from avian influenza
viruses& )he ne$ subtypes arose in pigs coinfected $ith avian and human viruses and
$ere soon transferred to humans& 4$ine $ere considered the original ,intermediate host,
for influenza, because they supported reassortment of divergent subtypes& o$ever, other
hosts appear capable of similar coinfection 6e&g&, many poultry species7, and direct
transmission of avian viruses to humans is possible&
-=.
)he 4panish flu virus strain may
have been transmitted directly from birds to humans&
->.
%n spite of their pandemic connection, avian influenza viruses are noninfectious for most
species& When they are infectious they are usually asymptomatic, so the carrier does not
have any disease from it& )hus $hile infected $ith an avian flu virus, the animal doesn?t
have a ,flu,& )ypically, $hen illness 6called ,flu,7 from an avian flu virus does occur, it is
the result of an avian flu virus strain adapted to one species spreading to another species
6usually from one bird species to another bird species7& 4o far as is kno$n, the most
common result of this is an illness so minor as to be not $orth noticing 6and thus little
studied7& But $ith the domestication of chickens and turkeys, humans have created
species subtypes 6domesticated poultry7 that can catch an avian flu virus adapted to
$aterfo$l and have it rapidly mutate into a form that kills in days over >@A of an entire
flock and spread to other flocks and kill >@A of them and can only be stopped by killing
every domestic bird in the area& <ntil !"# infected humans in the #>>@s, this $as the
only reason avian flu $as considered important& 4ince then, avian flu viruses have been
intensively studied9 resulting in changes in $hat is believed about flu pandemics, changes
in poultry farming, changes in flu vaccination research, and changes in flu pandemic
planning&
!"# has evolved into a flu virus strain that infects more species than any previously
kno$n flu virus strain, is deadlier than any previously kno$n flu virus strain, and
continues to evolve becoming both more $idespread and more deadly causing (obert
Webster, a leading e8pert on avian flu, to publish an article titled ,)he $orld is teetering
on the edge of a pandemic that could kill a large fraction of the human population, in
American Scientist& e called for adeBuate resources to fight $hat he sees as a ma+or
$orld threat to possibly billions of lives&
-#@.
4ince the article $as $ritten, the $orld
community has spent billions of dollars fighting this threat $ith limited success&
[edit] H5N1
H5N1
%nfluenza A virus
subtype
!"#
*enetic structure
%nfection
uman mortality
*lobal spread
in /@@1,
/@@!, /@@2,
/@@3
4ocial impact
;andemic
For more details on this topic, see H5N1 and ransmission and infection of
H5N1.
)he highly pathogenic %nfluenza A virus subtype !"# virus is an emerging avian
influenza virus that has been causing global concern as a potential pandemic threat& %t is
often referred to simply as ,bird flu, or ,avian influenza, even though it is only one
subtype of avian influenza causing virus&
!"# has killed millions of poultry in a gro$ing number of countries throughout Asia,
:urope and Africa& ealth e8perts are concerned that the co-e8istence of human flu
viruses and avian flu viruses 6especially !"#7 $ill provide an opportunity for genetic
material to be e8changed bet$een species-specific viruses, possibly creating a ne$
virulent influenza strain that is easily transmissible and lethal to humans&
-##.
4ince the first !"# outbreak occurred in #>>3, there has been an increasing number of
;A% !"# bird-to-human transmissions leading to clinically severe and fatal human
infections& o$ever, because there is a significant species barrier that e8ists bet$een
birds and humans, the virus does not easily cross over to humans, though some cases of
infection are being researched to discern $hether human to human transmission is
occurring&
-=.
Core research is necessary to understand the pathogenesis and epidemiology
of the !"# virus in humans& :8posure routes and other disease transmission
characteristics such as genetic and immunological factors, that may increase the
likelihood of infection, are not clearly understood&
-#/.
Although millions of birds have become infected $ith the virus since its discovery, /@2
humans have died from the !"# in t$elve countries according to WD data as of
"ovember /@@3& 6'ie$ the most current WD 5ata regarding Eumulative "umber of
uman Eases&7
)he Avian Flu claimed at least /@@ humans in %ndonesia, Faos, 'ietnam, (omania,
Ehina, )urkey and (ussia& :pidemiologists are afraid that the ne8t time such a virus
mutates, it could pass from human to human& %f this form of transmission occurs, another
pandemic could result& )hus disease-control centers around the $orld are making avian
flu a top priority&
Influenzavirus A
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Orthomyxoviridae
:lectron micrograph of %nfluenza A
viruses
Virus lassifiation
*roup: *roup ' 66-7ss("A7
Family: Orthomyxoviridae
!enera
Influenzavirus A
Influenzavirus !
Influenzavirus "
Isavirus
ho#otovirus
Flu
%nfluenza
'irus
Avian influenza
Flu season
(esearch
'accine
)reatment
*enome pro+ect
!"# strain
H5N1
Influenza A virus
subtype
!"#
*enetic structure
%nfection
uman mortality
*lobal spread
in /@@1,
/@@!, /@@2,
/@@3
4ocial impact
;andemic
Influenzavirus A is a genus of the Drthomy8oviridae family of viruses& %nfluenzavirus A
includes only one species: Influenza A virus $hich causes influenza in birds and some
mammals& 4trains of all subtypes of influenza A virus have been isolated from $ild birds,
although disease is uncommon& 4ome isolates of influenza A virus cause severe disease
both in domestic poultry and, rarely, in humans&
-#.
Dccasionally viruses are transmitted
from $ild aBuatic birds to domestic poultry and this may cause an outbreak or give rise to
human influenza pandemics&
-/.

-0.
Contents
-hide.
# 'ariants and subtypes
/ Annual flu
0 *enetics
1 %n nonhumans
! uman influenza virus
o !&# :volution
2 4ee also
3 Further reading
= 4ources and notes
[edit] Variants and subtypes
'ariants are identified and named according to the isolate that they are like and thus are
presumed to share lineage 6e8ample Fu+ian flu virus like79 according to their typical host
6e8ample uman flu virus79 according to their subtype 6e8ample 0"/79 and according to
their deadliness 6e8ample F;7& 4o a flu from a virus similar to the isolate
AGFu+ianG1##G/@@/60"/7 is called Fu+ian flu, human flu, and 0"/ flu&
'ariants are sometimes named according to the species 6host7 the strain is endemic in or
adapted to& )he main variants named using this convention are:
Bird flu
uman Flu
4$ine Flu
orse Flu
5og Flu
Avian variants have also sometimes been named according to their deadliness in poultry,
especially chickens:
Fo$ ;athogenic Avian %nfluenza 6F;A%7
ighly ;athogenic Avian %nfluenza 6;A%7, also called: deadly flu or death flu
)he %nfluenza A virus subtypes are labeled according to an number 6for hemagglutinin7
and an " number 6for neuraminidase7& :ach subtype virus has mutated into a variety of
strains $ith differing pathogenic profiles9 some pathogenic to one species but not others,
some pathogenic to multiple species& Cost kno$n strains are e8tinct strains& For e8ample,
the annual flu subtype 0"/ no longer contains the strain that caused the ong Hong
Flu&
%nfluenza A viruses are negative sense, single-stranded, segmented ("A viruses& ,)here
are #2 different A antigens 6# to #27 and nine different "A antigens 6"# to ">7 for
influenza A& <ntil recently, #! A types had been recognized, but a ne$ type 6#27 $as
isolated from black-headed gulls caught in 4$eden and the "etherlands in #>>> and
reported in the literature in /@@!&,
-1.
[edit] Annual flu
$ain article% Flu season
)he annual flu 6also called ,seasonal flu, or ,human flu,7 in the <&4& ,results in
appro8imately 02,@@@ deaths and more than /@@,@@@ hospitalizations each year& %n
addition to this human toll, influenza is annually responsible for a total cost of over I#@
billion in the <&4&,
-!.
&
)he annually updated trivalent influenza vaccine consists of hemagglutinin 6A7 surface
glycoprotein components from influenza 0"/, #"#, and B influenza viruses&
-2.
)he dominant strain in January /@@2 is 0"/& Ceasured resistance to the standard
antiviral drugs amantadine and rimantadine in 0"/ has increased from #A in #>>1 to
#/A in /@@0 to >#A in /@@!&
,-E.ontemporary human 0"/ influenza viruses are no$ endemic in pigs in southern
Ehina and can reassort $ith avian !"# viruses in this intermediate host&,
-3.
[edit] Genetics
See also% H5N1 #enetic structure
,)he physical structure of all influenza A viruses is similar& )he virions or virus particles
are enveloped and can be either spherical or filamentous in form& %n clinical isolates that
have undergone limited passages in eggs or tissue culture, there are more filamentous
than spherical particles, $hereas passaged laboratory strains consist mainly of spherical
virions&,
-=.
)he %nfluenza A virus genome is contained on eight single 6non-paired7 ("A strands that
code for eleven proteins 6A, "A, ";, C#, C/, "4#, ":;, ;A, ;B#, ;B#-F/, ;B/7& )he
segmented nature of the genome allo$s for the e8change of entire genes bet$een
different viral strains during cellular cohabitation& )he eight ("A segments are:
A encodes hemagglutinin 6about !@@ molecules of hemagglutinin are needed to
make one virion7 ,)he e8tent of infection into host organism is determined by
A& %nfluenza viruses bud from the apical surface of polarized epithelial cells
6e&g& bronchial epithelial cells7 into lumen of lungs and are therefore usually
pneumotropic& )he reason is that A is cleaved by tryptase clara $hich is
restricted to lungs& o$ever As of ! and 3 pantropic avian viruses subtypes
can be cleaved by furin and subtilisin-type enzymes, allo$ing the virus to gro$ in
other organs than lungs&,
->.

"A encodes neuraminidase 6about #@@ molecules of neuraminidase are needed to
make one virion7&
"; encodes nucleoprotein&
C encodes t$o matri8 proteins 6the C# and the C/7 by using different reading
frames from the same ("A segment 6about 0@@@ matri8 protein molecules are
needed to make one virion7&
"4 encodes t$o distinct non-structural proteins 6"4# and ":;7 by using different
reading frames from the same ("A segment&
;A encodes an ("A polymerase&
;B# encodes an ("A polymerase and ;B#-F/ protein 6induces apoptosis7 by
using different reading frames from the same ("A segment&
;B/ encodes an ("A polymerase&
)he genome segments have common terminal seBuences, and the ends of the ("A
strands are partially complementary, allo$ing them to bond to each other by hydrogen
bonds& After transcription from negative-sense to positive-sense ("A the J("A strands
get the cellular !? cap added by cap snatching, $hich involves the viral protein "4#
binding to the cellular pre-m("As& )he cap is then cleaved from the cellular pre-m("A
using a second viral protein, ;B/& )he short oligo cap is then added to the influenza
J("A strands, allo$ing its processing as messenger ("A by ribosomes& )he J("A
strands also serve for synthesis of -("A strands for ne$ virions&
)he ("A synthesis and its assembly $ith the nucleoprotein takes place in the cell
nucleus, the synthesis of proteins takes place in the cytoplasm& )he assembled virion
cores leave the nucleus and migrate to$ards the cell membrane, $ith patches of viral
transmembrane proteins 6hemagglutinin, neuraminidase and C/ proteins7 and an
underlying layer of the C# protein, and bud through these patches, releasing finished
enveloped viruses into the e8tracellular fluid