The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Thursday that their analysis of samples from the United States’ first severe bird flu case last week revealed mutations not previously observed in an infected flock on the patient’s property.
The CDC identified these mutations in the hemagglutinin (HA) gene, which is crucial for the virus’s attachment to host cells.
Despite these findings, the CDC reassures that the risk to the public remains low.
Last week, the U.S. reported its first severe case of bird flu in a Louisiana resident over the age of 65, who experienced significant respiratory illness.
The patient contracted the D1.1 genotype of the virus, found recently in wild birds and poultry in the U.S., differing from the B3.13 genotype detected in dairy cows, human cases, and some poultry across multiple states.
Such rare mutations have occurred in severe infections in other countries, including a previous case in British Columbia, Canada.
The CDC confirmed no evidence of transmission from the Louisiana patient to others.
