Avian Influenza and Monitoring Sea Birds [News]

New Study Describes Key Protein from Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Avian Flu Virus and
How it Might Mutate
NIH News
16 March 2006

The recent spread of deadly H5N1 influenza A virus among birds in Asia, Europe, and Africa has been the focus of much attention and concern worldwide—largely because of the danger that the virus will mutate into a form that will become easily transmissible from person to person.

In a March 16 article published online by Science, a research team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute in California reveals the structure of an H5 protein from a highly pathogenic strain of H5N1 avian influenza virus and compares this structure to the same proteins from other pandemic influenza A viruses, including the deadly 1918 virus. Further, they discuss a potential route whereby H5N1 might mutate and acquire human specificity. The work also describes the application of a new technology called glycan microarrays, which can be used to determine whether H5 proteins from various strains of H5N1 target human or bird cells and map how their specificity is changing.

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Helping Hands For 'Other Nations'
The Cape Codder, Townhome.com
17 March 2006
Dune Denizen

"These birds practically never come ashore during the winter. They eat, sleep, live, and meet together at sea. When you see a sea duck on the beach, you can be sure something is the matter with him ..."

Henry Beston, "The Outermost House"

Last week, a common eider was captured at High Head Beach in North Truro. A normal common eider would ordinarily have no problem escaping from a human being, because they spend most of their lives miles from shore.

This bird, however, was not normal. He was able to take only a few steps before collapsing, and put up little to no resistance when apprehended. Forty minutes later, he was in the confines of Wild Care's Eastham facility, being tended to. "It's a good thing he was brought in," said the Wild Care attendant.

Apparently, this is a regular occurrence with the folks at Wild Care and other such facilities, not just on Cape Cod, but in the northern hemisphere. Eiders and other marine birds, the attendant explained, are often brought ashore and beached, because they become ill. Most of them die. There's no concrete explanation as to why just yet, she said, but it's a pretty good bet that man is the source of the problem.

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