A recent study conducted by the United Nations has revealed that animal diseases are increasingly being transmitted to humans. This is due to the exchange of genes between zoonotic diseases and other viruses in the bodies of infected animals, which gives them the ability to attack human cells. Zoonotic diseases have traditionally been found in Africa and Asia, but a new type of swine flu with pandemic potential, known as the G4 virus, has recently been discovered in these regions. However, a new study by the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Bundesforschungsinstitut für Tiergesundheit, has shown that potentially pandemic viruses are also present in Germany.
The study, published in the journal Cell Host and Microbe, examined over 18,000 samples from 2,500 European pig farms. The researchers found that more than 50% of the farms had infections with four different swine influenza viruses. These viruses have exchanged genes with the human influenza virus A(H1N1)/2009, which caused the swine flu pandemic in 2009, resulting in 31 virus variants with previously unknown gene combinations. Some of these variants have already developed immunity to the human immune system’s central component, the antiviral protein MxA, which significantly increases the risk of transmission to humans.
The study’s lead author, Timm Clemens Harder, warns that “European pig populations represent reservoirs for newly emerging influenza lines with zoonotic and possibly pre-pandemic potential.” The study’s findings highlight the crucial role that swine viruses play in the development of new influenza viruses. As animal diseases continue to pose a threat to human health, it is essential to monitor and control their spread to prevent future pandemics.
