WASHINGTON — Put swine flu in a room with other strains of influenza and it doesn’t mix into a new superbug — it takes over, researchers reported Tuesday.
University of Maryland researchers deliberately co-infected ferrets to examine one of the worst fears about the new swine flu. But fortunately, the flu didn’t mutate. The researchers carefully swabbed the ferrets’ nasal cavities and found no evidence of gene-swapping.
The animals who caught both kinds of flu, however, had worse symptoms. And they easily spread the new swine flu, what scientists formally call the 2009 H1N1 virus, to their uninfected ferret neighbors — but didn’t spread regular winter flu strains nearly as easily.
It’s no surprise that swine flu has become the world’s dominant strain of influenza. It’s not under evolutionary pressure right now to mix and mutate while it has a clear biological advantage over other kinds of flu, concluded the Maryland team led by virologist Daniel Perez.
The Maryland study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, reinforces concern about how easily swine flu may sweep through the country.
“The results suggest that 2009 H1N1 influenza may out-compete seasonal flu virus strains and may be more communicable as well,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “These new data, while preliminary, underscore the need for vaccinating against both seasonal influenza and the 2009 H1N1 influenza this fall and winter.”
Seasonal flu vaccine is available around the country now, and swine flu vaccine is expected to arrive in mid-October.
President Barack Obama said Tuesday that the vaccine for swine flu would be voluntary, but “strongly recommended.”
“I don’t want anybody to be alarmed, but I do want everyone to be prepared,” he said.
Certain groups are more vulnerable to swine flu, including children under 2, pregnant women and people with health problems like asthma, diabetes and heart disease.
The global swine flu epidemic has sickened more than 1 million Americans and killed about 500.
More than 2,000 people have died worldwide.
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