Medical News As H5N1 bird flu continues to evolve and cross species, researchers reveal how the latest vaccine technologies, nanomedicine, and AI could shape the future of pandemic defense. The global health landscape has been starkly reminded of the pandemic risk associated with zoonotic viruses with multiple host species. In a recent PEARLS article, a concise and educational overview published in the journal PLoS Pathogens, the authors explored how emerging influenza A viruses, particularly the dangerous hemagglutinin 5 neuraminidase 1 (H5N1) subtype, evolve and evade treatments and new cutting-edge strategies that could help control future outbreaks.
Influenza A virus: Zoonotic risk and evolution
Influenza A viruses (IAVs) are constantly evolving and pose a unique pandemic threat because they can spill over from various animal species to humans. Unlike seasonal flu strains, some subtypes, such as H5N1, originate in birds and have caused deadly outbreaks in other mammals. Recent reports detail H5N1 transmission in a wide range of animals, including cattle, with evidence of cattle-to-cattle and subsequent human spillover, resulting in 1 death among 70 confirmed human cases. The overall case fatality rate for H5N1 infections is approximately 52%.