Scientists find 'human' bird flu mutation clue

A possible indication that H5N1 bird flu is mutating towards a form adapted to humans has emerged from British scientists.

Medical Research Council experts based at Mill Hill in north London announced last night that they had completed their analysis of viruses taken from two fatal cases of bird flu in Turkey.

The research revealed mutations from one case which have previously been seen in flu viruses from Hong Kong in 2003 and Vietnam in 2005.

They involved a protein that binds to receptors, or docking points, on the surfaces of cells.

John Skehel, director of the MRC’s National Institute for Medical Research, and the World Health Organisation said in a joint statement last night: “Research has indicated that the Hong Kong 2003 viruses preferred to bind to human cell receptors more than to avian (bird) receptors, and it is expected that the Turkish virus will also have this characteristic.”

The statement said the viruses were “very closely related” to current H5N1 viruses in Turkey, and also viruses isolated at Qinghai Lake in western China last year.

Qinghai Lake is a congregation point for migratory birds, raising fears that it may be a staging post for the spread of H5N1.

The gene sequences of the viruses indicated that they were sensitive to the anti-viral drugs Tamiflu and amantadine, said the scientists.

Experts’ biggest fear is that H5N1 will change into a form that can spread easily from person to person.

If that happened it could trigger a global pandemic with the loss of many millions of lives.

Earlier, a British vet said measures should now be taken to keep domestic birds away from lakes and waterways where they could come into contact with wild carriers of avian flu.

Dr Bob McCracken, a former president of the British Veterinary Association, said the bird flu danger would be greatest during the migratory season for wild ducks.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme yesterday: “The most likely place that wild infected ducks are likely to land in the UK is in lakeways and waterways.”

Unlike poultry, ducks can carry the virus without showing any outward symptoms.

In Turkey, a total of 18 people are said to have been infected with bird flu, including three children who have died.

The H5N1 virus has now infected 150 people and killed at least 78 in six countries.