 grown in MDCK cells (seen in green). Avian influenza A viruses do not usually infect humans; however, several instances of human infections and outbreaks have been reported since 1997. When such infections occur, public health authorities monitor these situations closely.){kind=spacer}
Colorized transmission electron micrograph of Avian influenza A H5N1 viruses (seen in gold) grown in MDCK cells (seen in green). Avian influenza A viruses do not usually infect humans; however, several instances of human infections and outbreaks have been reported since 1997. When such infections occur, public health authorities monitor these situations closely.
Image: Cynthia Goldsmith
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The Best Science Writing Online 2012
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It’s a rare kind of research that incites a frenzied panic before it’s even published. But it’s flu season, and influenza science has a way of causing a stir this time of year.
Epidemiologists have long debated the pandemic potential of H5N1, a.k.a. avian bird flu. On one hand, the virus spreads too inefficiently between humans to seem like much of a threat: it has caused less than 600 known cases of human flu since first emerging in 1997. On the other hand, when it does spread, it can be pretty deadly: nearly 60 percent of infected humans died from the virus. For years now, the research has suggested that any mutations that enhanced the virus’s ability to spread among humans, would simultaneously make it less deadly. But in a recent batch of as-yet-unpublished studies, two scientists - Yoshihiro Kawaoka from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and Ron Fouchier of Erasmus Medical Center, in the Netherlands – have shown otherwise.
Working separately, they each hit on a combination of mutations (five, in Dr. Fouchier’s case) that makes H5N1 airborne (enabling it to spread readily between humans), without making it less deadly. In laboratory experiments, ferrets infected with this mutant strain passed it to other ferrets in nearby cages (ferrets are a common subject of flu studies because they react to flu viruses in a similar way to humans). A significant proportion of infected subjects died.
Efforts to publish those findings have been fraught. Critics say that making the methodology or gene sequences widely available, amounts to giving would-be bioterrorists an easy recipe. They also worry that these manmade strains might escape from the lab.
Proponents counter that the threat of a global pandemic, were this mutated strain to arise in nature, is far greater than the threat of bioterrorism. Understanding what combination of mutations could transform H5N1 into a human pandemic virus, helps epidemiologists know what to watch out for in the wild, and gives them a leg up on preparing countermeasures; they can, for example, test existing H5N1 vaccines and antiviral drugs against the new strain in the lab, before it actually emerges in the natural world.
Both papers are being reviewed by the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB), which will then advise researchers and journal editors how to proceed. In the meantime, most experts agree that we need a better way.
“This is not new for science,” says Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and a member of the NSABB. “Physicists have been doing sensitive, classified, and need-to-know work for 70 years, including academic researchers. We have to find a way to do the same in the health sciences, to work on agents that yield important information without compromising our safety and security.”
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43 Comments
Add CommentHuman beings never stop to amaze me on how ingenious they can be to find new ways to destroy themselves.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIgnorance goes a long way
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat's next. "new and improved" Anthrax and Black Plague?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisJust when I thought I humans could not be any dumber, they prove me wrong.
it goes both ways. If we were all good natured, we wouldnt have to worry about it.....
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSounds like a job for Mossad.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe World Health Organization would want these influenza viruses and how they were produced "shared" - though probably not anywhere in the news where the general public could find out about that and sue guilty parties if the viruses got loose and killed people.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAt http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA64/A64_8-en.pdf, please see document:
World Health Organization
SIXTY-FOURTH WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY: Provisional agenda, 5 May 2011
"Pandemic influenza preparedness: sharing of influenza viruses and access to vaccines and other benefits."Report by the Open-Ended Working Group of Member States on Pandemic Influenza Preparedness: sharing of influenza viruses and access to vaccines and other benefits
No doubt this "sharing" was already occurring, but now WHO has formally authorized it.
What did Einstein say? The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAre these geniuses removing reasonable limits of common sense becoming, therefore, stupid?
next is the cme activated poison
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSure, new and improved ways of destroying themselves, yet they haven't done it yet. Those silly humans try and try, and there's more humans on Earth now than ever before. Apparently, humans are pretty dumb.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMany of those outraging over the stupidity of producing new and improved viruses are the same people who outrage about there being too many humans on Earth.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTalk about inconsistency.
The people calling the researchers dumb for investigating the possibility of a virus mutating into a pandemic form have not read the article. Either that or they are completely ignorant of the science. I suspect a combination of both. With or without the help of these researchers this virus will mutate. If we know in advance what mutations cause it to become more deadly we can plan how to treat it. Otherwise we are at the mersy of mother nature. Forewarned is forearmed. Anyone who would suggest that the best approach to any issue is ignorance has no business being here. We have churches for people with that mentality. Of course we see regular posts from the anti-science cadre who use ignorance as a tool to promote their personal agenda whether that be creationism or anti-AGW. And I believe it is those same tools here. Another fact worth noting is that the bad guys aren't waiting for us to show them how to attack us. They are figuring that out for themselves. If the west choses not to examine this possibility it doesn't stop Iran, Russia, China or North Korea from doing it. The only thing it does is make us less prepared for the eventuality. So, feel free to bury your head in the sand just don't expect the rest of us to follow your lead.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"With or without the help of these researchers this virus will mutate".
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMutations are random, not created intentionally to become deadly. This seems to be what the researches have done. Please reread Darwin, Coyne, Dawkins, Carroll, etc.
"For years now, the research has suggested that any mutations that enhanced the virus’s ability to spread among humans, would simultaneously make it less deadly. " I don't know where this idea came from, and it may have been wishful thinking and not scientifically based, but the research mentioned here does not seem to disprove that idea. The mutations and subsequent selection in nature might be quite different from the purposeful mutation and selection performed in the lab -- well, of course it would be!
Pandora's box has been opened fully, and turning back is not an option. But, don't think that there is a scientific solution to this problem. It is sticking your head in the sand to believe that science has anything to say about use and misuse of the science; it doesn't.
Oppenheimer, Einstein, Feynman were appalled at what they had accomplished. So must the current crop of scientists.
you must have a dull and boring life...without what we've accomplished we would'nt know the things we know. just because we have'nt evolved physically does'nt mean we have'nt. Our minds evolve. kids are seemingly born with comprehension of technology as where most adults still have trouble with it. everything comes to an end eventually. At least we try to resolve our mistakes.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHell ya RSchmidt!!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisscience is science, whether good or bad. Forgive me but im not quite sure what you are trying to say...are you saying that it's our fault about this strand no matter what because its for sure that mother nature would have created a different strand? I believe that is possible, yes. but it is also true that it wouldn't stop someone who would try to use a lab made strand for war as well. Its hard to say whether we are wrong for it or not for creating an enhanced version or not....
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWe don't need 'scientists' to be creating brand new and potentially deadly strains of the flu virus. That happens every time we use live virus vaccines on millions of people, allowing the vaccine virus to combine with their native DNA and RNA, potentially leading to stronger and more virulent new viruses.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAside from that - how many times have we had accidental releases of experimental viruses and bacteria from labs that were testing them? How about Baxter's 'accidental' sale of 72kg of avian influenza masquerading as flu vaccines to Eastern European countries just prior to the AH1N1 (Swine Flu) campaign? Can we trust any laboratory to contain these diseases once they have created them?
But back to this story. The fact that these people are actually TRYING to make a more deadly and transmissible disease and then, publishing the recipe for it, should be considered a criminal matter and should be dealt with by the legal authorities in those countries.
These are the sort of people who put the MAD back into SCIENTIST.
What I am trying to add to the discussion and to counter is the idea that those who have significant concerns with the direction of this research are necessarily anti-science, creationistic troglodytes. RSchmidt seems to be one of those, for example.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFolks like this are as reactionary as those religious zealots on the right. The creation of an H1N1 superbug by scientists, when there is no argument that such super-bug would arise by natural selection, needs to be addressed, and cannot be supported by merely trotting out some tired old argument that is reduced to "either you're for science or against it."
The lust for war is the primary driver for creating WMD that make dangers for life.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe old song said "the paved paradise and put up a parking lot".
The new song says "they took paradise and turned it into a biological WMD" ...
http://ecocosmology.blogspot.com/2009/12/lovely-planet-in-neighborhood.html
@LarryW, "The creation of an H1N1 superbug by scientists, when there is no argument that such super-bug would arise by natural selection." you really have to try hard to be that dense. Did you even read the article? If so, did you understand it?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"For years now, the research has suggested that any mutations that enhanced the virus’s ability to spread among humans, would simultaneously make it less deadly."
So exactly how did you expect them to provide an "argument that such super-bug would arise by natural selection"? Pray for an answer? The point of this work was to do just what you stated. And now that we know, and we also know what a deadly strain looks like we can start work on innoculations and monitor the situation on the ground.
And what did YOU plan to do to prevent enemy states from opening "Pandora's box", ask baby jesus to intervene?
"Oppenheimer, Einstein, Feynman were appalled at what they had accomplished." were they? Appalled that they prevented a third world war? Appalled that the US also got the bomb instead of just the Soviets? You have to be very nieve to believe that being ignorant of danger protects you from your enemies. I'm just glad that luddites like you are content to write about stuff you don't know about instead of trying to create policy. Otherwise we would be in the dark ages and our enemies would have the technology to do whatever they liked with us.
I suggest you find another site to troll, you might learn something here...something dangerous!
And of course, this virus will never be seen outside of the laboratory....This is so dangerous, and I am infuriated they are even "playing" with it in a lab.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYou're a joke, right! It does seem you respond by filling in some standard response template to try to give the illusion that thinking is occurring. You are not fooling me.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAnd my language is not dense and quite within the understanding of normally intelligent people. Sorry for your loss.
"So exactly how did you expect them to provide an "argument that such super-bug would arise by natural selection"? Pray for an answer? "
You fool! Science doesn't work by argumentation; it works by experimentation. The answer is experiment! The studies themselves have not been published (if you've read the article) but I would expect the studies to show that the scientists specially mutated the DNA to change the transmission vector. This is not natural selection. A less drastic intervention has been accomplished with bacteria by changing its environment and watching what mutations are observed. I'm certain similar methodologies are available for H5N1, but I'm guessing that wasn't done in the studies of issue here.
""Oppenheimer, Einstein, Feynman were appalled at what they had accomplished." were they? Appalled that they prevented a third world war? "
Your well-earned ignorance is showing. All three showed concern. One of Einstein's famous quotes in that regard: "I don't know how WW III will be fought, but WW IV will be fought with sticks and stones." Einstein was a pacifist and relented in his famous letter to FDR. Einstein later believed using the bomb on Japan was a mistake and that FDR would not have ordered its use.
In Feynman's BBC interview, on youtube, he describes is deep concern, even depression believing nuclear war was inevitable. (He admits that his ability to finally mourn the death of his wife from TB probably contributed to this).
I would invite you to read -- say, anything but what you are currently reading. Einstein himself wrote extensively for the general public. Try Einstein, by Walter Isaacson. Autobiography, Philosophy and Scientist, by Einstein (written in German, probably there is an English translation). On Feynman, Genius by James Gleick.
We do need a vaccine for the toxins of power that infect the centers of power with corruption.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe rest of it is for the birds.
http://powertoxins.blogspot.com/2011/12/hypothesis-microbes-generate-toxins-of.html
Cherry picked "analysis" like you provide - proves my point.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIn early 2009, the world dodged a "huge" bullet.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIn March 2009, Baxter Pharmaceutical released contaminated flu virus material from its plant in Austria. The contaminated product, a mix of H3N2 seasonal flu viruses and unlabelled live H5N1 viruses was supplied to an Austrian research company. The Austrian research company sent portions of it to sub-contractors in the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Germany.
The “mistake” was discovered by the National Microbiology Laboratory in Canada, and the World Health Organization was alerted. See Socio-Economics History Blog: Live Avian Flu Virus Placed in Baxter Vaccine Materials Sent to 18 Countries at http://socioecohistory.wordpress.com/2009/03/07/live-avian-flu-virus-placed-in-baxter-vaccine-materials-sent-to-18-countries/
There is a full range of horse sense among smart scientists - from plentiful to nonexistent; and a full range of character - from very honest to very dishonest. Becoming a scientist does not change one's human nature. Pharmaceutical companies have enough power right now that they can "play" with dangerous pathogens at the risk of severely sickening and killing millions. "Whatever" they do unintentionally or intentionally, they will not be put out of business.
It is only a matter of time until a new pandemic virus emerges naturally. The Last time it killed from 50,000,000 to 100,000,000 people, and that was before widespread air travel in 1918. This virus took out the strongest members of the population (rather than the normal young/old sick). We should be very afraid. And as dangerous as it sounds to study it, it is far more dangerous not to, because it is coming any way. "Know your enemy"
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisKnowledge without wisdom is recipe for self destruction. It is amazing that some of the most educated people are involved in the most destructive and suicidal ventures.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI know this will sound terrible, but we need a good plague to save millions of other species from being driven into extinction and give future generations a shot at a decent life. The Earth could be an Eden at 3 to 4 billion people, it is in bad shape at 7 billion humans, and the Earth will be a living Hell at 9 to 10 billion of us, which is what it will be in a generation. The Renaissance would never have happened without the Black Plague.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAccording to a historical review article at the CDC site, the 1918 virus itself proved relatively mild. The article indicates that bacterial pneumonia, secondary to influenza, caused most of the deaths. At http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/14/8/07-1313_article.htm see the historical review, "Deaths from Bacterial Pneumonia during 1918–19 Influenza Pandemic." The swine flu deaths were linked to preexisting conditions and to bacterial pneumonitis.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIn 1918, there was a high rate of malnutrition. Malnutrition would have weakened immune systems and increased the likelihood that those people would catch pneumonia. It was in the winter that so many people died. At that time, coal would have been used to heat homes; and the particles from that coal would literally have been inhaled.
A nearly exclusive focus on producing a vaccine to prevent a replay of the 1918 Spanish flu is misplaced. Antivirals and influenza vaccines will make a great deal of money for pharmaceutical companies. Mitigating air pollution will not "immediately" profit either pharmaceutical companies or energy companies.
So far big business and Wall Street have found no way to make enough profit by mitigating malnutrition, which increases by the day in the US and around the world. In recent years they have been acting like they would agree with the comments made here by one writer. So timely in this Christmas season, that writer agrees with Ebenezer Scrooge: that the poor should die to decrease the surplus population on the planet. More often than not, it is from the ranks of the poor that important solutions for the world's problems emerge. That includes problems ultimately suffered by even the most wealthy people on our planet.
According to a historical review article at the CDC site, the 1918 virus itself proved relatively mild. The article indicates that bacterial pneumonia, secondary to influenza, caused most of the deaths. At http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/14/8/07-1313_article.htm see the historical review, "Deaths from Bacterial Pneumonia during 1918–19 Influenza Pandemic." The swine flu deaths were linked to preexisting conditions and to bacterial pneumonitis.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIn 1918, there was a high rate of malnutrition. Malnutrition would have weakened immune systems and increased the likelihood that those people would catch pneumonia. It was in the winter that so many people died. At that time, coal would have been used to heat homes; and the particles from that coal would literally have been inhaled.
A nearly exclusive focus on producing a vaccine to prevent a replay of the 1918 Spanish flu is misplaced. Antivirals and influenza vaccines will make a great deal of money for pharmaceutical companies. Mitigating air pollution will not "immediately" profit either pharmaceutical companies or energy companies.
So far big business and Wall Street have found no way to make enough profit by mitigating malnutrition, which increases by the day in the US and around the world. In recent years they have been acting like they would agree with the comments made here by one writer. So timely in this Christmas season, that writer agrees with Ebenezer Scrooge: that the poor should die to decrease the surplus population on the planet. More often than not, it is from the ranks of the poor that important solutions for the world's problems emerge. That includes problems ultimately suffered by even the most wealthy people on our planet.
Are these people out of their minds?Take something really bad and make it worst.What can go wrong,right?Yes they are out of their freaking minds.God help us all if they let loose.How you say?Just remember Murphy's law.Hopefully the inventers are the first to die.Followed by the people who funded them.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"It is only a matter of time ...." Well, of course, but time could be measured in eons if the virus naturally evolved. I think it more likely that the climate changes, general environmental rape and overpopulation (population density) will be the ultimate causes.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe next earthquake and tsunami along Japan could take out Tokyo, population 36M.
Lack of potable water will kill millions. Extreme weather conditions will have an effect. High temperatures will destroy farmable land, kill forests, cause fires; dustbowls will become common, deserts will expand. Increasing hurricanes will cause significant coastal damage, taking out major population centers.
Malnutrition will spread further. Societies will collapse and with it the knowledge too many now take for granted. And I think the US will be one of the first societies to collapse; I give the US a max of 20 years, 10 most likely.
As these events take their toll, pathogens that mankind and other life forms can tolerate now will become comparatively more virile because of general weakened conditions.
How long will this take? I would measure the time in decades, not eons.
It's a new idea to destroy human life...I don't understand why they do such piles ? Now it's turn to find vaccine that effect 100% , not opposite
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this.
I see only one comment here that touches on the weakness of safeguards against accidental release of the most deadly experimental viruses and bacteria. A recent article about Fouchier's "discovery" focuses on the need for strong safety protocols: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/edward-j-sylvester/dangerous-aquaintance_b_1115600.html. While I suspect that the authors, like many commenters here, would support restrictions on some lines of research, they feel that the scientific community will accept rational, fact-based safety standards more readily than constraints on their intellectual freedom.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHuman ego will not be satisfied before it self-destructs
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHas everybody commenting lost sight of the fact that the virus is mutating as we sit around - and does not particularly care whether we think we should share information on how it could get nasty?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisInfluenza viruses explore sequence space very efficiently; they do it with every transfer from animal to animal, and from animal to human. The lineage that succeeds in becoming efficiently human-to-human transmissible, will be one that will get transmitted around the world - and it will do it in blissful ignorance of whatever the NSABB or any other body thinks or says.
Welcome to evolution, people!
Great. They have found the perfect solution to the world's overpopulation! Spread the supervirus, and Voila! Instead of 7 billion heading for 11 billion, in less than a year we are back to 3 billion. All the planet's problems are solved.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOr are they . . . . .? I don't think I would want to be a survivor after an indiscriminate pandemic of that magnitude. And no doubt someone in the know will make sure there is a vaccine ready to save the chosen. Such as family, close friends, and (of course) the obscenely wealthy, certain politicians and all their fellow travelers.
They are more than welcome to their brave new world. I just don't want any part of it, thanks.
From the comments I am seeing here, many of you have not been following this article in multiple locations. The 5 mutations that have been combined in the one research setting have all occured in the "wild" or naturally. It is the potential combination of these existing mutations in the natural environment that gives the potential of the increased virulence and transmissability of the H5N1 Avian virus that is of major concern.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe researchers involved have only taken the steps to combine the exisitng mutations to determine their combined effect, which has shown that this virus has the capability of becoming as bad as the 1918 Spanish Flu virus or worse. As it stands the virus has a 60% mortality rate when it is transmitted to humans, but only spreads to humans at a rate lower than 1% in it's current state.
With the potential to kill that high with the virus, do you want scientists to sit on their hands and do nothing to try and prepare to minimize the impact these mutations could have on human health globally.
From Kenneth Ellman, Box 18,Newton, NJ 07860
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisemail:ke@kennethellman.com
In reference to the article “Contagion: Controversy Erupts over Man-Made Pandemic Avian Flu Virus" dated December 9, 2011, the readers comments here may show an extraordinary lack of awareness of the purpose of science and the need to protect our population.
The work of Yoshihiro Kawaoka from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and Ron Fouchier of Erasmus Medical Center, in the Netherlands is not so unusual. The results they obtained have been anticipated and not just by science fiction writers. The techniques they used do not appear to have been any new pioneering technology or discovery. What Mr. Kawaoka and Fouchier have done is show that what we believed was the case is now proven to actually be the case. This is not Nobel Prize winning science. We owe Mr. Kawaoka and Fouchier a deep debt of thanks for their courage and devotion to science and public health, by their bringing this danger to the forefront of news and commentary. By their accomplishment this risk to pubic health can now be confronted and dealt with. There is no doubt that those who are committed to killing human beings will always try to use the knowledge of science to develop and perfect weapons. So what? The desire of some human beings to kill others is also nothing new.
But, so that we may obtain the knowledge and be prepared to confront these risks to public health and combat both natural and manmade killers, our researchers must be encouraged in every possible way to pursue and understand the risks to mankind. Developing these deadly organisms allows us to work with this threat and know how to defend ourselves. There is no alternative. Further the more we publicize science and work with fellow researchers worldwide the better opportunity for progress we obtain. Secrecy is of no benefit to science nor to the making of public policy. The general public must be fully appraised of the risks to our safety and then call out that our government must devote the resources to support necessary research for the protection of our citizens from both these natural and manmade threats. I fully agree that the natural threat is at least as great as any manmade attack.
Again we must thank Mr. Kawaoka and Fouchier for reminding us of the work that we must do. Hopefully the cooperation between our government and academic facilities will tackle this task and use our science to be prepared for the reality of this biologic fact.
Kenneth Ellman
Newton, NJ 07860
email:ke@kennethellman.com
Talk about a lame joke...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCreating this virus has no other purpose than to cause harm to mankind. Either funded by pharmaceuticals to promote their products, or military to cripple a region.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis strain needs to be destroyed ASAP. No good will come of it.
How did the ferrets immune system react, compared to the natural strain ?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe same institute that WHO chief adviser Dr. Albert Osterhaus operates from and who mainly caused the global drugs companies to make billions upon billions by the WHO calling an official pandemic. Now they create the greatest human killer of all time in their Labs. Do I feel another tens of billions of dollars drugs scam coming on? Possibly. How do these non-intelligent people live with themselves when this could quite easily fall into the wrong hands...and they want to put it into print also. Sheer madness ! These people want locking up and the key throwing away. For the Swine Flu showed over a year ago that by the time a new vaccine was produced we would all be well dead. i.e. the Spanish flu took from start to finish 6 months to kill up to 100 million and where the Swine flu vaccine was only created in the Labs and then approved for use after 7 months 1 week...then we had to manufacture it for the world. Therefore I will say it again, the only way to stop such a thing happening (and according to WHO D-G Margaret Chan it is only a matter of time, not when) is to address the killer virus at source. Is there respectfully anyone listening out there?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDr David Hill
World Innovation Foundation
Let me summarize this discussion with both what is for me new information ( but known to a couple of commenters here), and without hysteria, or philosophical statements. Just the facts reported in Medpage.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"Researchers have been worried for years that the H5N1 strain might evolve naturally to become more easily transmissible among people."
"Science reported Nov. 23 in a news article that the airborne strain has five mutations in two genes and all have been previously found in nature. The difference is they've never been found together."
"The editors of the prestigious journal Science have been asked to cut key details out of a research report on the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu." by the
U.S. government's National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity.
But, "Cutting out some of the details would at least prevent "copycat science," [said Nicole Baumgarth, DVM, PhD, of the University of California Davis, who is not involved with the studies]. But Baumgarth added that the methods employed by Fouchier and his group are routine procedures used around the world, so it's not clear that cutting out details of the work would have a permanent effect.
"Let's face it, if two research labs have done this already," she said, "nobody is going to stop a third and fourth lab from doing the same."