Study yields highly pathogenic avian, human flu virus mix (Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy) Feb 22, 2010 (CIDRAP News) – Human seasonal flu strains that reassort with avian H5 influenza can produce a more pathogenic avian flu strain, highlighting the importance of virus genetic surveillance and the need to protect people who have close contact with birds, researchers reported today. [News Source]

Virus Hybridization Could Create Pandemic Bird Flu (redOrbit) MADISON -- Genetic interactions between avian H5N1 influenza and human seasonal influenza viruses have the potential to create hybrid strains combining the virulence of bird flu with the pandemic ability of H1N1, according to a new study. [News Source]

Deadly Hybrid Flu Possible (HealthDay via Yahoo! News) MONDAY, Feb. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Research in mice suggests the avian flu virus and the ordinary seasonal flu virus could combine to create a new deadly kind of flu, researchers say. [News Source]

Scientists: H5N1 Avian Flu Could Mutate into Supervirus (Time Magazine) The 2009 H1N1 pandemic may be dwindling, but a new pandemic could arise at any time, perhaps even from an existing virus that many of us have forgotten about: the deadly H5N1 bird flu [News Source]

Campus Connection: UW study indicates pandemic bird flu possible (The Capital Times) A new study authored by UW-Madison virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka warns there is the potential for avian H5N1 influenza and human seasonal flu viruses to interact and form a new flu strain which could be both highly contagious and deadly. [News Source]

USA TODAY board of contributors (USA Today) USA TODAY's board of contributors is composed of writers whose interests range from education to religion to sports to the economy. [News Source]

U.S. weighs how to track diseased livestock. The meat industry is up in arms over a federal decision to abandon a $120 million livestock-tracking system designed to limit the economic and human-health impact of animal-disease outbreaks. A new, narrower program is raising criticisms. [News Source]

Adamas Pharmaceuticals Announces In Vitro Data Demonstrating TCAD Therapy is More Potent Than Double Combinations or … (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance) Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held company, reported today on the publication of results from a preclinical study that demonstrated the synergistic effects of triple combination antiviral drug therapy against multiple strains of seasonal, pandemic, and avian influenza A virus, including three strains of amantadine resistant pandemic H1N1 and two strains of oseltamivir resistant ... [News Source]

Monkeys, butterflies, turtles… how the pet trade’s greed is emptying south-east Asia’s forests. Countries across south-east Asia are being systematically drained of wildlife to meet a booming demand for exotic pets in Europe and Japan and traditional medicine in China - posing a greater threat to many species than habitat loss or global warming. [News Source]

Leavitt keeping his eye on healthcare issues (KSL Salt Lake City) Former Utah Governor Mike Leavitt has turned his attention to the private sector, but he's still paying close attention to political issues. [News Source]

Leavitt keeping his eye on healthcare issues (KSL Salt Lake City) Former Utah Governor Mike Leavitt has turned his attention to the private sector, but he's still paying close attention to political issues. [News Source]