WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - During the analysis of samples collected from the first severe case of bird flu, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found mutations in the hemagglutinin gene, which plays a crucial role in attaching to host cells.
The agency added that the mutations were not seen in samples from an infected backyard flock on the person's property.
Despite the mutations, the CDC continues to assure that the immediate risk to the public's health from H5N1 bird flu continues to remain low.
Last week, the CDC stated that a person in Louisiana has been hospitalized with H5N1 bird flu, marking the first case of severe illness linked to the virus in the nation.
The virus detected in the infected person belonged to the D1.1 genotype, which was found in similar cases in British Columbia, Canada, and Washington state.
During the investigation, the officials determined that the person was exposed to sick and dead birds in backyard flocks, making it the first case in the nation to be linked to exposure to a backyard flock.
'This case underscores that, in addition to affected commercial poultry and dairy operations, wild birds and backyard flocks also can be a source of exposure,' the health agency noted.
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