Avian Influenza News and Research

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Avian influenza is an infection caused by avian (bird) influenza (flu) viruses. These influenza viruses occur naturally among birds. Wild birds worldwide carry the viruses in their intestines, but usually do not get sick from them. However, avian influenza is very contagious among birds and can make some domesticated birds, including chickens, ducks, and turkeys, very sick and kill them.

Study: Non-thermal plasma can inactivate 99.9% of dangerous airborne viruses

Dangerous airborne viruses are rendered harmless on-the-fly when exposed to energetic, charged fragments of air molecules, University of Michigan researchers have shown.

9 Apr 2019

Disease X: an unknown disease that could claim millions of lives

Dubbed ‘Disease X’, scientists believe a future epidemic of the influenza virus could cause millions of deaths worldwide.

25 Feb 2019

Study sheds light on the infection mechanism of influenza virus

New research has taken a step towards understanding how highly pathogenic influenza viruses such as deadly bird flu infect humans.

20 Nov 2018

Phase 1 clinical trial examining topical cream plus influenza vaccine is underway

A Phase 1 clinical trial examining whether a topical cream can enhance the immune response conferred by a "pre-pandemic" influenza vaccine is underway at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

6 Sep 2018

Bulgaria reports outbreaks of bird flu (avian influenza)

Veterinary authorities in Bulgaria have called for culling of nearly 8,000 ducks according to a food safety agency yesterday after two more regions there have reported avian flu infection. According to the agency a total of four outbreaks of bird flu have been registered in Bulgaria at this time.

5 Nov 2017

UNIST to develop self-powered tracking device for bird flu outbreak prediction

The official signboard-hanging ceremony of the Self-powered Mobile Tracker Research Center took place at UNIST on September 12, 2017.

20 Sep 2017

UF scientists to use $2.7 million NIH grant for preventing influenza viruses in animals and humans

University of Florida researchers will use a $2.7 million National Institutes of Health grant to study whether they can harness an unusual type of immune cell in pigs to treat and prevent influenza viruses in animals and humans.

14 Sep 2017

InDevR gets NIAID support for verification, validation studies on new potency test for influenza viruses

InDevR, Inc., an innovative life science company dedicated to improving biopharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing, announced support from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, for verification and validation studies on a new potency test for influenza viruses with pandemic potential.

2 Aug 2017

Researchers discover new virus in migratory bird species

Researchers at the University of São Paulo's Biomedical Science Institute (ICB-USP) in Brazil have discovered a new virus in a migratory bird species.

25 Jul 2017

Mutations identified that enable human transmission of avian flu

A systematic mutation analysis has shown that changes in just three amino acids of the avian influenza H7N9 virus receptor binding protein confers specificity for human cells.

16 Jun 2017

New study reports long-term infectious disease trends in China after SARS outbreak

Following the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003, China stepped up its prevention and control methods for all infectious diseases, and rates of infection have levelled off since 2009.

19 Apr 2017

USDA announces grant to decrease impact of disasters

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture today announced $462,000 in available funding to decrease the impact of disasters through cooperative extension programming.

11 Apr 2017

New transgenic mouse could help monitor potential dangers of emerging influenza viruses

Researchers in Germany have developed a transgenic mouse that could help scientists identify new influenza virus strains with the potential to cause a global pandemic.

10 Apr 2017

Resurgent outbreak of avian influenza underscores need for control efforts at animal source

A resurgent outbreak of a new strain of avian influenza that can be lethal for humans underscores the need for robust and rapid detection and response systems at animal source.

20 Mar 2017

New research exposes cellular responses linked to bird flu vaccine

New research from Vanderbilt eavesdrops on gene expression in human immune system cells before and after vaccination against bird flu.

19 Jan 2017

Influenza experts examine evolution of avian disease

Few influenza viruses are as widespread and adaptable as avian influenza viruses, and scientists are not entirely sure why.

19 Jan 2017

Mass livestock production could lead to human pandemics, expert says

Mass livestock production is driving molecular changes in diseases that could lead to human pandemics, according to an expert from the University of Exeter.

16 Jan 2017

Preventing zoonotic diseases from pets to people: an interview with Dr Monique Éloit, OIE Director General

Zoonotic diseases are diseases or infections which are naturally transmissible from animals to humans, as defined in the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code.

13 Jul 2016

RVFV uses cancer pathway to hijack host cell and cause infection

Viruses can't live without us -- literally. As obligate parasites, viruses need a host cell to survive and grow. Scientists are exploiting this characteristic by developing therapeutics that close off pathways necessary for viral infection, essentially stopping pathogens in their tracks.

17 Jun 2016

Study provides insights into new pathways to generate universal vaccine against influenza viruses

Diverse antibodies induced in humans by vaccination with an avian influenza virus vaccine may offer broader, more durable protection against multiple strains of influenza than today's vaccines typically provide, according to a study led by Florian Krammer, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Patrick Wilson, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Chicago.

9 Jun 2016