May 30, 2013

Some Chinese people who recently contracted a new subtype of the virus bird flu Doctors discovered a manifestation of resistance to drugs. A new type of avian influenza virus (H7N9) has resistance to the drug " Tamiflu ". This pattern was found in three of 14 patients who were treated with this drug, doctors in Shanghai. According to Chinese physicians, who had already published his findings in a specialized medical journal, such resistance appears very quickly, so its presence is particularly worrying.

Doctors carried out a detailed analysis of the virus samples that were taken from the fourteen patients. It turned out that all these people were sick of atypical pneumonia, with half of the patients needed mechanical ventilation.

As a consequence, eleven patients with treatment with antiviral drugs has reduced the amount of virus H7N9 and alleviate the symptoms of the disease. But three patients such treatment has not helped to cope with the impact of the virus. Scientists are concerned about this situation, we had a genetic laboratory studies of the virus and found that it occurred mutation. As a result, the virus may be resistant to antiviral drugs. In addition, physicians assert that at least in one case, the resistance was the consequence of the use for the treatment of atypical pneumonia   the drug "Tamiflu".

To date, the drug of this type - it is the only treatment for bird flu.

The first reports of infection of the new strain of bird flu appeared in the beginning of this year. As of today, doctors have recorded 131 cases of the disease, which has provoked the virus H7N9. In the 37 cases it was recorded fatal. All the people who are sick, contact with poultry, and infection from person to person until it was fixed.

However, recently researchers reported that new H7N9 avian influenza virus relatively easily transmitted during close contact. This fact, scientists have found an experiment on ferrets, which occurred transmission of the virus through close contact. As a consequence, the study concluded that the virus is effectively transmitted between mammals. Therefore, contamination can occur from person to person. At the same time, it is encouraging that in the last two weeks in China has not recorded new cases.