1918 flu virus lethal to primates

The influenza virus that killed about 50 million people worldwide around 90 years ago is also lethal in nonhuman primates, a study in this week's Nature reports. The results confirm that it was the virulence, associated with the virus itself, that made it so efficient in claiming young adult lives.

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VOL.445 NO.7125 DATED 18 JANUARY 2007

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Immunology: 1918 flu virus lethal to primates

The influenza virus that killed about 50 million people worldwide around 90 years ago is also lethal in nonhuman primates, a study in this week's Nature reports. The results confirm that it was the virulence, associated with the virus itself, that made it so efficient in claiming young adult lives.

The 1918 influenza virus replicates rapidly in macaques, causing respiratory problems, haemorrhage and death, report Yoshihiro Kawaoka and colleagues. It does this, they say, by sending the host's immune system into overdrive.

Circulating strains of the bird flu virus H5N1 also appear to affect innate immune responses and cause respiratory problems. So it seems that interventions that protect host immunity might help curb the severity of influenza infections.

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Published: 17 Jan 2007

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