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Scientists in China have identified a new strain of flu that may have pandemic potential, the BBC reported in late June. The strain has been detected in pigs, but scientists fear it may start spreading from person to person and even trigger a global epidemic. Could swine flu really threaten another pandemic?
- A new swine flu virus discovered in China could become a pandemic virus
- In the course of research, it turned out that people do not have immunity to it
- Will the virus cause another global epidemic? Scientists reassure us that “at the moment these viruses are generally neither causing serious disease nor spreading easily”. However, research shows that you need to be vigilant
Could the new swine flu virus infect humans? Disturbing research results
The new influenza virus detected in pigs has been reported by Chinese researchers in the American scientific journal “Proceeddings of the National Academy of Sciences” (the text was published on June 29). According to research, it has the potential to become a “pandemic virus”.
- A new influenza virus with “pandemic potential” has been found in China. It is transmitted through pigs
Scientists, observing influenza viruses in pigs between 2011 and 2018, discovered a new strain of the H1N1 subtype. The new virus was named G4 EA H1N1 (first detected in 2013). By 2018, it had become the dominant variety in the Chinese pig population. This coincided with the apparent increase in respiratory disease in these animals, suggesting that the G4 virus “is highly adapted to infect pigs”.
Until now, the G4 virus posed no threat to humans, but according to Chinese scientists, be careful about it. The more that the tests gave disturbing results. The studies were carried out on ferrets (one of the reasons why these animals were selected for testing is that they are susceptible to influenza and have a similar course of the disease to humans). Experiments showed that ferrets infected with the G4 virus suffered more from the disease than with the other virus types tested. The G4 was also easily transferred both by direct contact and by droplets. The results suggest that also in humans, the new swine flu virus can cause severe disease and spread easily between us.
The study also looked at whether antibodies recognizing influenza viruses, which have caused disease in humans in recent years, will behave similarly in G4. It turned out not, which means that the human population has little or no resistance to a new strain of swine flu virus.
You have to be vigilant about the new swine flu virus
Researchers also checked whether humans had antibodies that recognized G4 viruses. To this end, they took blood samples from people who have close and regular contact with pigs (pig farmers, farm workers) as well as from the “general population”. The results were surprising.
It turned out that 10 percent. samples taken from people in contact with pigs and about 4 percent. samples from the general population contained such antibodies. “This suggests that G4 viruses are already infecting humans,” reads sciencealert.com. It has also been noticed that the frequency of infections has increased in recent years.
However, scientists reassure that “at the moment these viruses are not generally causing serious disease, nor are they spreading easily”. However, research shows that you need to be vigilant against the G4 virus and keep monitoring it. International cooperation is invaluable here.
“SARS, MERS, H1N1 and now COVID-19 have emerged in the last 20 years, which shows that pandemic viruses are produced with alarming regularity and are likely to continue to do so,” reads sciencealert.com.
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