Looking beyond the H5 avian influenza viruses

Avian influenza viruses continue to cross the species barrier and infect mammals. In this issue of Cell, Sun and colleagues demonstrate that viruses obtained from humans infected with an emergent avian H3N8 viruses exhibit increasing accumulation of mutations that promote respiratory droplet transmission and disease in mammals.

Automated summary

Avian influenza viruses can infect mammals, and the mutations accumulated in viruses obtained from humans infected with emerging avian H3N8 viruses can promote respiratory droplet transmission and disease in mammals.