Here’s what’s sticking in my craw (from CDC press briefing transcripts):
We know so far that the viruses contain genetic pieces from four different virus sources. This is unusual. The first is our North American swine influenza viruses. North American avian influenza viruses, human influenza viruses and swine influenza viruses found in Asia and Europe.
That particular genetic combination of swine influenza virus segments has not been recognized before in the U.S. or elsewhere. Of course, we are doing more testing now and looking more aggressively for unusual influenza strains. So we haven’t seen this strain before but we haven’t been looking as intensively as we are these days.
The viruses are resistant to amantadine and rimantadine anti-viral drugs but they are sensitive or susceptible to oseltamivir and zanamivir, the newer anti-viral drugs for flu. And at this time we don’t know exactly how people got the virus. None of the [seven] patients have had direct contact with pigs.
You can get swine influenza without direct contact but it’s a bit more unusual. And we believe at this point that human-to-human spread is occurring. That’s unusual.
and
RICHARD KNOX: Hi, thanks very much, I appreciate it. Two different kinds of questions. One, is can you tell us anything more about what the aviance (ph) sequence has been found in any of these viruses and what that might imply? And whether you’ve ever seen before such a desperate mixing from four different strains in a single virus as well?
SCHUCHAT: Yes, let me actually answer that and then offer that we could get you more information in follow-up. I think it’s – the virus – what we have is unusual the reassortant (ph) with these four genetic sequences is unusual. The avian (ph) lineage I don’t have that information and if it’s available we can try to get it for you later.