Novel Bird Flu Strain H6N1 found in a Woman in Taiwan

A woman in Taiwan has become the first patient to be infected with a strain of bird flu known as H6N1.

The strain was previously only detected in poultry. Taiwanese researchers have said that a mutation (G228S) in the haemagglutinin of the virus helped it infect the woman. In the future, this class of virus may start choosing humans over animals as its host.

The world needs to be prepared for the new viruses that are capable of jumping from animals to humans, researchers said, according to BBC.

"A genetic analysis of the H6N1 virus identified in a 20-year-old woman shows a virus that has evolved the ability to target a receptor called SAα-2,6 found in the human upper respiratory tract, potentially enabling adaptation of the virus to human cells," explained Dr Ho-Sheng Wu from the Centres for Disease Control in Taiwan, lead author of the study,

The 20-year-old woman with the infection was admitted to a hospital in May 2013 after she complained of flu-like symptoms along with breathing difficulties. She was then given oseltamivir (Tamiflu). She has now completely recovered from the infection.

Her throat swabs were sent for tests, which showed that she had an unclassified subtype of influenza A virus. Subsequent genetic analysis revealed that the virus was a novel avian-origin H6N1 virus, closely resembling chicken H6N1 that has been around in Taiwan since 1970s.

Researchers then tested her relatives. Of the 36 people, six had mild infection, but not due to the novel virus. Also, the virus wasn't detected in any samples collected from poultry farms near her house.

The source of virus remains unknown.

"H6N1 is a low pathogenic virus commonly found in wild and domestic birds across many continents. Our findings suggest that a unique group of H6N1 viruses with the human adaption marker G228S have become endemic and predominant in poultry in Taiwan. As these viruses continue to evolve and accumulate changes, they increase the potential risk of human infection. Further investigations are needed to clarify the potential threat posed by this emerging virus," Dr Wu said in anews release.

The case report can be found in The Lancet.