, 1378).
Much like other influenza a viruses, the virion of the H5N1 virus is enveloped and is either spherical or filamentous as to its formation and in clinical isolates, the virus has been shown to be more filamentous, while in some laboratory strains, it appears more spherical (Beigel, et al., 1379). As to the genome of the H5N1 virus, this is composed of eight single non-paired RNA strands, containing a code with eleven specific proteins; the overall size is estimated at 13,588 bases (Beigel, et al., 1379). According to Wang and Jiang, the entry of the H5N1 virus into a host cell is mediated by hemagglutinin, "a virus surface glycoprotein that can bind terminal sialic acid residues on host cell glycoproteins and glycolipids (2009, Internet).
In most cases, treatment of the H5N1 influenza virus includes immediate hospitalization in the intensive care unit and being placed on a ventilator, along with possible quarantine in order to prevent the spread of the virus. Also, most infected persons are given some kind of antibiotic drug or antiviral agent, often in combination with corticosteroids. However, some studies suggest that these types of interventions are not that effective and that the only effective method is through some sort of vaccine, such as an early version in 1997 which contained "high hemagglutinin antigen content with an MF59 adjuvant" which proved to create neutralizing antibody responses; however, there are no current vaccines available for humans which have been proven to truly vaccinate against the H5N1 virus (Beigel, et al., 1378).
According to the most recent findings as provided by the Centers for Disease Control, the H5N1 influenza a virus is highly pathogenic and as a result is not expected to decrease at a high rate anytime in the near future ("Avian Influenza," Internet). This is especially true in areas of the world where population growth continues to be a serious problem, such as in northern Africa and Southeast Asia where people often congregate in very close quarters at markets or on the public streets.
In some of these areas, the H5N1 virus is...
However, the CDC wishes to make it clear that the H5N1 virus rarely spreads via human-to-human contact which makes an outbreak or some sort of pandemic more probable in areas of the world with large poultry farms or where people come into contact with birds in the wild. To make matters worse, researchers have determined that natural immunity to the H5N1 virus is extremely limited within the human population. With this in mind, it is obvious that if the H5N1 virus managed to mutate into another form of avian virus and thus replicate itself at a higher rate, the transmission rate among humans would skyrocket, due in part to the absence of an effective vaccine and the lack of any strong natural immunity.
In addition, genetic sequencing of the virus has revealed a resistance to two of the most popular and widely-used antiviral medications, along with the possibility that the remaining antiviral medications may soon become ineffective ("Avian Influenza," Internet). Thus, the H5N1 influenza virus hold the potential for some type of future pandemic, wherein millions of people could die, especially children under the age of 15 and the elderly.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
"Avian Influenza -- Bird Flu." CDC. 2009. Internet. Retrieved September 25, 2009 from http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian.
Beigel, John H., et al. "Avian Influenza (H5N1) Infection in Humans." New England
Journal of Medicine. Vol. 353 (September 29, 2005): 1374-1385.
"History of Avian Flu." 2009. Internet. Retrieved September 25, 2009 from http://www.
ringsurf.com/online/2203-history_of_avian_flu.html.
Talkington, Megan. "New Antibodies Block a Range of Influenzas." Nature. Feb 22, 2009.
Vol. 3 no. 3: 45-48.
Wang, Hong Liang and Cheng Yu Jiang. "Influenza a Virus Entry Into Host Cells." 2009.
Internet. Retrieved September 26, 2009 from http://www.scichina.com:8082/sciCe/
EN/abstract/abstract413004.shtml.
