# 3353
One of the things that scientists will be looking hard at over the next few months is whether the novel H1N1 `swine’ flu virus changes, or mutates, as it spreads around the world.
Mutations will no doubt occur, as that is a hallmark of influenza A viruses. We must adjust our seasonal flu shots practically every year simply because viruses do change, or mutate over time.
Up until now, we’ve heard reassuring reports that this pandemic virus has remained pretty stable. Few scientists would expect this virus to circulate without picking up changes, however.
Today’s report out of Brazil indicates that they’ve detected a variant of the H1N1 virus, but it doesn’t tell us much about the nature of those changes.
We don’t know how `biologically fit’ this variant is for sustained transmission, nor do we know if it is more – or less – virulent that the California strain.
Obviously this new variant will be the object of close study over the next few days and weeks.
A hat tip to Lyne Robichaud of Zone Grippe Aviaire H5N1 en français for posting this AFP report on twitter.
Brazil finds new strain of H1N1 virus
SAO PAULO (AFP) — Brazilian scientists have identified a new strain of the H1N1 virus after examining samples from a patient in Sao Paulo, their institute said Tuesday.
The variant has been called A/Sao Paulo/1454/H1N1 by the Adolfo Lutz Bacteriological Institute, which compared it with samples of the A(H1N1) swine flu from California.
The genetic sequence of the new sub-type of the H1N1 virus was isolated by a virology team lead by one of its researchers, Terezinha Maria de Paiva, the institute said in a statement.
The mutation comprised of alterations in the Hemagglutinin protein which allows the virus to infect new hosts, it said.
It was not yet known whether the new strain was more aggressive than the current A(H1N1) virus which has been declared pandemic by the World Health Organization.
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