Researchers have identified a clear trend: antibodies are losing effectiveness against new H5N1 strains. This means that in the near future they will become increasingly difficult to recognize and suppress by the immune system, which increases the risks of transmission of the virus to humans from animals and between humans. Such a rapid adaptation at the same time indicates a decrease in the effectiveness of vaccines that were created on the basis of previous versions of the virus, writes Med.News.am.

The team analyzed 1804 interactions of viral proteins with host antibodies. The results of the study are published in the journal eBioMedicine, part of The Lancet family.

Scientists have documented the continuous transmission of H5N1 from birds to mammals and an increasing number of strains that successfully evade attacks by the immune system. Experts cite all these factors as factors that antigenic drift is becoming a serious source of zoonotic risk.

The virus has already spread widely in flocks of wild birds, actively affects poultry, there are cases of cattle and even farm workers. Scientists are concerned about the need for rapid development of effective vaccines. There is a possibility of human-to-human transmission of the virus against the background of H5N1 mutations, followed by the development of a pandemic.