Immune Response Implicated in Bird Flu Deaths
A recent article from Nature caught my eye concerning bird flu.
It seems the H5N1 replicates at a much greater rate than typical flu viruses and it basically causes the body to over-respond creating what is referred to as a cytokine storm. This eventually leads to organ failure particularly the lungs.
One of two things could be happening. First the body over reacts simply because the virus replicates so rapidly. The second could b that the virus produces a compound that over stimulates the immune response. This second explanation may be a reason as to why Tamiflu which inhibits viral replication, has not proven very useful. Another reason could be that the proper dose of Tamiflu for fighting avian flu has not yet been determined.
Technorati Tags: avian flu, bird flu, H5N1
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