Dr Shawn Babiuk, a scientist with the National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease who led the research, said, "Working out how major human pandemic flu viruses affect birds and other domestic animal species is crucial in discovering what role, if any, they play in spreading viruses in the human population." Such studies can inform government decisions in responding to outbreaks of influenza in birds, which have major implications for poultry producers. According to Dr Babiuk, "These findings support the use of normal veterinary management practices in poultry infected with pandemic 2009 H1N1 influenza and demonstrate that quarantining and culling infected stocks is not necessary."
Dr Babiuk explained that viruses can behave unpredictably. "Our understanding of exactly how influenza viruses go on to cause pandemics is still limited," he said. "Although our research indicates that birds are unlikely to have played a part in the spread of the 1918 and latest 2009 H1N1 pandemic viruses, they may well still play a part in future pandemics."
Source-Eurekalert
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