The new avian virus that alarmed Chinese authorities a couple of months ago and since seemed to have been tamed, has undergone a quick but significant shift that seems to render it resistant to Tamiflu.
When the new strain emerged, Chinese authorities were comforted by the fact that the strain seemed to be highly susceptible to Tamiflu (oseltamivir), an antiviral drug that was developed especially for avian flu strains only a few years ago.
The H7N9 virus, is now resistant in 3 out of 14 patients that were studied in a pool of patients that spanned from Hong Kong to Shanghai.
Tamiflu is an important medication, because it is the last compound that has been proven effective in treating the virus.
In one patient, the virus' genetic mutation responsible for resistance seems to have developed after the virus infected the person and was treated with Tamiflu.
In most of the treated patients Tamiflu was shown to be effective, but in some cases, the most severe ones, it failed to do anything at all.
These news also show that the new strain is mutating quickly, and therefore could pose serious risks for the population in the future.
In fact, an article in the LANCET magazine told that "the apparent ease with which antiviral resistance emerges in A/H7N9 viruses is concerning; it needs to be closely monitored and considered in future pandemic response plans."
The true source, or reservoir of the virus has not yet been identified, although the consensus is that migratory birds have infected birds on the ground and caused a recombination that gives it its present characteristics.
Source : the Lancet 5.28.13
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