| ■ Children May Be Especially Prone to Bird Flu: Study | 2007.10.26 |
| The way the H5N1 bird flu virus binds to the respiratory tract and lungs suggest that children may be especially susceptible to bird flu, say Australian and Chinese researchers. They used a modified technique to identify receptors for influenza viruses in the upper and lower respiratory tract. Their tests suggested that the H5N1 virus may be especially good at binding to children's cells in the lower respiratory tract, as well as the upper respiratory tract of adults. The findings may explain why bird flu infects children more readily than it does adults and why it can infect the upper respiratory tract, even though tissues there were believed to lack receptors for such viruses. The study was published online in the journal Respiratory Research. "Understanding the how and why of avian virus infection of humans is a very complex process involving research into properties of H5N1 virus, the host receptor and the cellular response," study author Dr. John Nicholls said in prepared statement. "We believe that the studies we have done investigating where the receptors are located and their distribution with age is a small step toward unraveling this process and help in findings ways to diminish the potential threat from this emerging infection." |