The ‘D-strain’ flu has already affected animals, but now experts have said they are worried that the illness is jumping species and now “spreading undetected” in humans
Fears of another pandemic have heightened after scientists suggested a new illness is now “spreading undetected” in humans. While it has mostly only targeted animals, the disease could soon wreak havoc on the human population.
The mutated flu strain, known as “Influenza D” or “D-strain”, is mostly seen in pigs and cows, targeting their immune systems, rendering it a potentially fatal illness. If caught by humans, it could be an incredibly dangerous condition, experts have warned.
With the disease already being spotted in other animals, there are fears that humanity has already been infected with D-strain. Scientists have confirmed there is evidence to suggest that this has already happened, with the illness just lying dormant, waiting to become active.
According to the Sun, researchers in the US found that the “poorly understood virus” could already be making its way through the human population. They suggested the symptoms are resulting in the “efficient infection of the airway”, meaning it attacks the way we breathe.
Lab scientists at the Ohio State University found that tissue in our respiratory symptoms does little to actually fight back against D-strain. They tested how the virus reacted to various cells commonly found in our airways, finding the virus was able spread rapidly regardless of the subject.
The paper, published in the bioRxiv online server, said the findings “demonstrate influenza D replicates efficiently in multiple human respiratory models while largely evading innate immune defences”. Scientists added: “This raises concern that only minimal evolutionary changes may be required for sustained human transmission.
“These findings underscore the need for further investigation into influenza D biology and zoonotic risk,” they concluded. However, the study was quick to point out that D-strain is not a commonly tested illness, so it is not yet known how badly it has taken hold in humans.
Some areas have already confirmed that the virus is present in everyday life. Sampling of local environments confirmed traces of D-strain in samples of the air taken in places where mixing is high, such as hospitals and airports.
D-strain antibodies, produced after falling ill from the disease, have also been seen in farmers working with pigs and cattle. One study found that as many a 97% of people working in these fields carried antibodies, suggesting they had already been exposed to the illness.
In another study, published in the journal of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, scientists admitted that there is limited knowledge about the characteristics of the virus. Clinical research is also low, but from what the data revealed they explained D-strain posed a “major threat to public health”.
Dr John Lednicky, research professor at the University of Florida, added: “Our review of the literature indicates this virus poses respiratory disease threats to humans, yet little has been done to respond to or prevent infection. If it evolves the capacity to easily transmit person to person, it may be able to cause epidemics or pandemics since most people won’t have immunity to it.”
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