Researcher develops bird flu vaccine using virus commonly found in dogs

Researchers at the University of Georgia have used a virus commonly found in dogs as the foundation for a new vaccine against H7N9 influenza, more commonly known as bird flu. H7N9 is one of several influenza virus strains that circulate in bird populations, and the first human cases were reported in China in March 2013, according to the World Health Organization. The H7N9 virus strain is particularly concerning, however, because most patients rapidly develop severe pneumonia that sometimes requires intensive care and mechanical ventilation. “The mortality rate for this virus is over 30 percent, so there is an urgent need to develop a good vaccine,” said study co-author Biao He, the Fred C. Davison Distinguished University Chair in Veterinary Medicine in UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “We have developed a vaccine that protected both mice and guinea pigs against a lethal H7N9 challenge, and we think it may be a very strong...