# 3654
When you think about it, it isn’t really all that surprising.
Influenza is, after all, a disease native to birds. And the novel H1N1 aka Swine flu already has an avian component – so at least part of its lineage comes from an avian flu virus.
Still . . . it adds a new wrinkle to this story. And another route for reassortment.
We already had concerns over humans or swine acting as `mixing vessels’ for H1N1 and another strain of influenza, with the potential for creating a new, hybrid virus.
How likely that is to happen, and for a biologically fit virus to emerge, is unknown. It obviously doesn’t happen very often.
But it does happen.
Adding birds to the list of hosts for the novel H1N1 virus certainly increases opportunities for it to meet up with other influenza viruses that are endemic in birds, including the dreaded H5N1 virus.
I expect we’ll hear more about this story in the coming days.
This from Reuters.
Chile finds H1N1 swine flu in turkeys
Thu Aug 20, 2009 11:39pm EDT
ANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chile detected the H1N1 swine flu virus in turkeys, authorities said on Thursday, the first time the virus has been found outside humans or pigs.
Chile's farming and livestock agency SAG said the flu outbreak had been controlled at the two farms 75 miles west of the capital Santiago.
"We call on the public to consume turkey products with confidence," a SAG statement said. It added that laboratory results ruled out the presence of H5N1 or bird flu virus.
