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About one third of all confirmed human H5N1 infections worldwide have occurred in Indonesia. Because pigs are believed to be “mixing vessels” for avian and human influenza viruses, investigators assessed whether pigs in Indonesia were being infected with H5N1 and whether the virus was changing receptor specificity.
The researchers sampled nasal, fecal, and serum samples from healthy-appearing pigs in various districts of the country during three rainy seasons between 2005 and 2009. Among 702 nasal specimens obtained in 2005 and 2007, H5N1 was isolated from 52 (7.4%). Culture-positive pigs showed no signs of influenza-like illness. Among 300 pigs tested in 2008–2009, none were culture positive, although 3 (1%) had neutralizing antibodies to H…