Scientist have established a theory why the H5N1 strain of
avian influenza (AI) virus is so dangerous for himans. The disease so far has
been fatal in more than half of the people who have contracted it since 2003.
The explanation lies in the patient’s viral load and the
subsequent inflammatory response, say researcher from the Oxford University
Clinical Research Unit in an article published in Nature Medicine.
Dr Menno de Jong and colleagues assessed 27 people at the
Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Eighteen of the
patients were infected with H5N1; the other nine had contracted common human
influenza viruses.
The investigators learned that those who had H5N1 were
carrying substantially higher viral concentrations in their blood and throat
than their counterparts who had sub-types of human flu. The H5N1 infected
patients who died had much higher viral load than those who survived. The team
concluded that the higher the level H5N1, the greater the likehood of death.
The severity of lung damage and the increased risk of dying probably were
associated with high levels of cytokines, low levels of lymphocytes and the
resulting intense inflammatory response in H5N1 patients, the scientists
suggested.
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