Thursday, November 14, 2024

Two New Drug-resistant ‘Dual Mutant’ H1N1 Flu Strains Found In The US; CDC Says Is Tracking Them

Must read

At least two human cases of the new “dual mutant” strains of H1N1 influenza have been detected in US patients, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, with genetic changes that could cut the effectiveness of the main flu antiviral that hospitals rely on. An analysis of the new H1N1 flu viruses with these two concerning mutations – which scientists call I223V and S247N, describing changes to key surface proteins of the virus – was published this week in the agency’s Emerging Infectious Diseases journal. Read on to know.

There has been a growing concern over the new H1N1 flu viruses with mutations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said it is tracking at least two human cases of the new “dual mutant” strains of H1N1 influenza, with genetic changes that could cut the effectiveness of the main flu antiviral. There has been a growing concern over the new H1N1 flu viruses with mutations, called I223V and S247N with changes to key surface proteins of the virus. These changes were published in the agency’s Emerging Infectious Diseases journal.

In March this year, scientists from Hong Kong had first published the report after first testing these mutations. Their lab experiments found that the two mutations appeared to raise H1N1’s resistance to the flu treatment oseltamivir – commonly sold under the brand Tamiflu by drugmaker Roche.

According to experts, it is still unclear how much the mutations could cut the real-world effectiveness of oseltamivir. The laboratory tests found the mutated viruses were up to 16 times less sensitive to the antiviral, a smaller drop-off than in some previous worrying mutations.

Latest article