H1N1 Reassortant Viruses Unlikely, Research Notes
This press release from the National Institutes of Health clarifies that while the current strain of H1N1 will predominate in the upcoming influenza season, there doesn’t seem to be biological pressure for the virus to re-combine with other circulating viruses. Some scientists have speculated such reassortant viruses would be more virulent or transmissible than either 2009 H1N1 or seasonal flu viruses alone.
The research, conducted by Daniel Perez, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Maryland, also supports what many have already suggested: the current H1N1 strain will likely outcompete seasonal influenza virus strains and be more communicable. So, while laboratorians, healthcare workers and the general public still have reason to be concerned about H1N1, at least some comfort may be found in research suggesting it’s unlikely to combine and create an even more troubling reassortant virus.