Samples from the nation’s first severe case of bird flu last week had mutations not found in samples from an infected backyard flock on the patient’s property, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Thursday.
According to the CDC, the patient’s sample contained alterations in the hemagglutinin (HA) gene, which is essential for the virus’s ability to adhere to host cells.
According to the health ministry, there is still little risk to the public from the outbreak.
The first serious instance of the virus was recorded in the United States last week, involving a Louisiana person over 65 who had a serious respiratory ailment.
