History of the Flu Mapped, Birds to Blame

Influenza may be getting its own history textbook -- or at least a very long chapter -- if a recent study out of the University of Arizona has anything to say about it.

The study, published in Nature, reportedly provides the most comprehensive history of the evolution of the influenza virus to date. The virus, commonly referred to as the "flu," is infamous for constantly changing and developing new strains in order to infect new hosts and spread its sickness. The study, co-led by Michael Worobey of the University of Arizona, mapped out a massive evolutionary tree of the virus.

Worobey claims that with a better picture, literally, of the virus' past, researchers can now better understand how the virus evolves and shifts from species to species. If a pattern of any kind can be discerned, Worobey explains, scientists can better predict what the flu virus might do next.

Interestingly, the team behind the study also thinks they may have discovered the origin of most North American flu. Birds, Worobey and co-author Andre Rambaut of the University of Edinburgh wrote in their study, were certainly one of the first animals, if not patient-0, to develop the virus and spread it to humans. Surprisingly, it wasn't wild birds either. According to the study's evolutionary map, it was domesticated birds who are to blame.

This news might hit a little too close to home for many North Americans who are already hearing constant news about the bird flu epidemic festering in East-Asia. As things stand, there are already two different strains of avian influenza sweeping across regions such as China, infecting humans and poultry alike. A third strain was just recently reported to have infected humans, proving that perhaps understanding just how influenza evolved and spread in the first place might just help us understand what is happening now.

The study was published in Nature on February 16.