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Bird Flu Shows Concerning Mutations, But Treatments Still Work

Scientists have identified nine new mutations in a bird flu strain from Texas that enable the virus to replicate more efficiently in the brain, but in a crucial finding for public health, current antiviral medications remain effective against the mutated strain.

The research from Texas Biomedical Research Institute, published in Emerging Microbes & Infections, highlights both the virus’s concerning adaptability and the continued effectiveness of our medical defenses against it.

Race Against Evolution

“The clock is ticking for the virus to evolve to more easily infect and potentially transmit from human to human, which would be a concern,” says Professor Luis Martinez-Sobrido, Ph.D., whose lab at Texas Biomed specializes in influenza viruses and has been studying H5N1 since the outbreak began last year.

From Birds to Mammals

The H5N1 strain has already demonstrated remarkable adaptability. Naturally found in wild birds and lethal in chickens, it began infecting dairy cows for the first time in spring 2024. By early 2025, the outbreak had spread through herds across multiple U.S. states and infected dozens of people, mostly farm workers. The first U.S. death from H5N1 was reported in January 2025 following exposure to infected chickens.

Good News on Treatment Front

“Fortunately, the mutations did not affect the susceptibility to FDA-approved antivirals,” reports Staff Scientist Ahmed Mostafa Elsayed, Ph.D., first author of the study.

This finding is particularly significant because antivirals will be crucial in fighting any potential pandemic before vaccines become widely available. This is especially important since humans have no preexisting immunity against H5N1, and seasonal flu vaccines offer very limited protection.

Critical Prevention Steps

“A key priority will be to eradicate bird flu from dairy cows to minimize risk of mutations and transmission to people and other species,” Dr. Elsayed emphasizes. He notes that immediate steps can include “thorough decontamination of milking equipment and more stringent quarantine requirements, which will help eliminate the virus more quickly in cows.”

Looking Ahead

The research team is now working to determine which specific mutations are responsible for increased pathogenicity and virulence. They’re also investigating why H5N1 can infect such a wide range of mammal species, why it causes mild disease in cows but is lethal in cats, and why infections from cows are less harmful to people than infections from chickens.


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