JAKARTA, April
11, 2005: Indonesia has announced the H5N1
strain of bird flu has infected pigs. Pigs add an additional
catalyst in the steady climb towards a world pandemic
because pigs can host both human and poultry flu strains.
This has led scientists to hypothesize that pigs could
act as a mixing bowl allowing characteristics from the
human strain to combine with the already highly contagious
and deadly avian influenza that has been terrorizing
Southeast Asia. While the potential may exist, such
hybridization has never been proven. Furthermore, preliminary
research suggests pigs might not be able to transmit
H5N1 to one another.
For the complete story go to: http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7268
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