The genetic analysis of the H5N1 avian flu virus in specimens from the nation's first severely ill hospitalized patient in Louisiana reveals mutations that may enable upper-airway infection and greater transmission, concludes a technical summary from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified mutations in the H5N1 bird flu virus that may increase its ability to infect humans. These mutations, found in the hemagglutinin (HA) gene,

Genetic analysis suggests the bird flu virus has the capacity to mutate in ways that could make it more transmissible to humans, the CDC reported.