UK detects first human case of new swine flu strain

Subject : Science and Tech

Section: Health

Context: First human case of flu strain similar to pig virus detected

More about the news:

Health officials in the UK are investigating the first confirmed case of a new strain of swine flu, identified as A(H1N2)v.
The virus is similar to those circulating in pigs in the UK.
The infected person, detected during routine flu screening in North Yorkshire, is being closely monitored, and contacts are being traced.
This is the first time A(H1N2)v has been found in humans in the UK, though it resembles viruses previously detected in pigs.
Influenza A(H1) viruses are common in swine globally.
Investigations are ongoing to determine how the individual contracted the virus.
A total of 50 human cases of A(H1N2)v have been reported globally since 2005, and this strain has not been previously detected in humans in the UK.
The UK case represents a distinct clade (1b.1.1), different from recent global cases but similar to viruses in UK pigs.

Some facts about Swine flu:

Swine influenza, also called pig influenza, is an infection caused by any one of several types of swine influenza viruses. Swine influenza virus or swine-origin influenza virus is any strain of the influenza family of viruses that is endemic in pigs.
Influenza A (H1N1) virus is the subtype of influenza A virus that is the most common cause of human influenza.
It is an orthomyxovirus that contains the glycoproteins haemagglutinin and neuraminidase.
For this reason, they are described as H1N1, H1N2 etc. depending on the type of H or N antigens they express with metabolic synergy.
Haemagglutinin causes red blood cells to clump together and binds the virus to the infected cell.
Neuraminidase is a type of glycoside hydrolase enzyme which helps to move the virus particles through the infected cell and assist in budding from the host cells.
Some strains of H1N1 are endemic in humans and cause a small fraction of all influenza-like illness and a small fraction of all seasonal influenza. Other strains of H1N1 are endemic in pigs (swine influenza) and in birds (avian influenza).