RESEARCH
Study Suggests H1N1 Virus More Dangerous Than Suspected
The pandemic H1N1 flu virus (red) has been shown to be more virulent than scientists previously believed. The filamentous shape of the virus, which in this image have recently budded from infected cells, is also unusual.
PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka
Excerpted from a story by Terry Devitt, University Communications
The new H1N1 influenza virus is more pathogenic than seasonal influenza viruses according to an international team of researchers led by Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka, of the UW School of Veterinary Medicine’s Institute for Influenza Viral Research.
In a study published in Nature, Dr. Kawaoka detailed the new virus’s pathogenic qualities.
In contrast with run-of-the-mill seasonal flu viruses, the H1N1virus exhibits an ability to infect cells deep in the lungs, where it can cause pneumonia and, in severe cases, death in humans. Seasonal viruses typically infect only cells in the upper respiratory system.
“There is a misunderstanding about this virus,” says Dr. Kawaoka, a professor of pathobiological sciences at the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine and a leading authority on influenza. “People think this pathogen may be similar to seasonal influenza. This study shows that is not the case. There is clear evidence the virus is different than seasonal influenza.”
Dr. Kawaoka says that while finding the H1N1 virus to be a more serious pathogen than previously reported is worrisome, the new study also indicates that existing and experimental antiviral drugs can form an effective first line of defense against the virus and slow its spread.
There are currently three approved antiviral compounds, according to Dr. Kawaoka, whose team tested the efficacy of two of those compounds and the two experimental antiviral drugs in mice. “The existing and experimental drugs work well in animal models, suggesting they will work in humans,” Dr. Kawaoka says.
Antiviral drugs are viewed as a first line of defense since development and production of mass quantities of vaccines takes months at best.
In addition to his appointment at UW-Madison, Dr. Kawaoka also is a professor at the University of Tokyo. The new study was funded by grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
