New National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded research found that, “a single modification in the protein found on the surface of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 influenza virus currently circulating in U.S. dairy cows could allow for easier transmission among humans.”
The research was published in the journal Science.
According to an NIH release:
- Scientists at Scripps Research used the H5N1 strain isolated from the first U.S. human infection with the bovine strain 2.3.4.4b (A/Texas/37/2024) to test how mutations in the HA gene sequence affected the binding of that protein with avian versus human-type cell receptors.
- The researchers introduced several mutations into the viral HA protein that had been observed to occur naturally in the past and found that one mutation, called Q226L, improved the ability of the protein to attach to receptors typically found on human cells, especially when an additional mutation was present.
- The researchers introduced the genetic mutations only into the HA surface protein and did not create or conduct experiments with a whole, infectious virus.
The authors say, “the experimental finding with the Q226L mutation alone does not mean HPAI H5N1 is on the verge of causing a widespread pandemic.”
