A genetic analysis of samples from the patient in Louisiana recently hospitalized with the country’s first severe case of H5N1 bird flu show the virus likely mutated in the patient to potentially become more transmissible to humans,

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified mutations in the H5N1 bird flu virus that may increase its ability to infect humans. These mutations, found in the hemagglutinin (HA) gene,

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday its analysis of samples from the first severe case of bird flu in the country last week showed mutations not seen in samples from an infected backyard flock on the patient's property.