H7N9 bird flu has 'unusual' ability to resist antiviral drug Tamiflu: study
A new US study has found that the deadly H7N9 strain of bird flu has an "unusual" ability to resist Tamiflu - a key treatment drug - without losing any of its ability to spread in mammals.
A new US study has found that the deadly H7N9 strain of bird flu has an "unusual" ability to resist Tamiflu - a key treatment drug - without losing any of its ability to spread in mammals.
The study, carried out by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, found a mutation in the H7N9 strain of bird flu to be highly resistant to the drug while still sustaining its ability to infect human cells in a laboratory dish.
The results came as two patients who contracted H7N9 in Hong Kong remained under observation in hospital.
The condition of a 36-year-old Indonesian domestic helper has changed from critical to serious, while an 80-year-old man was said to be stable yesterday.
A total of 38 people who came into close contact with the two patients remained in isolation.
The US study, the results of which were published in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday, analysed a sample from a mainland H7N9 patient in order to examine the strain. While it is widely known that treating flu with antivirals such as Tamiflu can lead to viruses mutating and becoming resistant to such drugs, the study found the H7N9 strain to be unusual.