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Science 7 September 2001:
Vol. 293. no. 5536, pp. 1773 - 1775
DOI: 10.1126/science.1065206
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Perspectives

Also see the archival list of Science's Compass: Enhanced Perspectives

VIROLOGY:
Enhanced: A Molecular Whodunit

Robert G. Webster

The Spanish flu pandemic killed more than 20 million people worldwide in 1918. An extremely virulent influenza virus that jumped from chickens to humans appeared in Hong Kong in 1997. Why is it that these particular flu viruses were so virulent? In an enlightening Perspective, Webster discusses new work (Hatta et al., Gibbs et al.) that offers fresh insights into the factors determining flu virus virulence. In addition, he advises on the steps that we need to take to avert another flu pandemic on the scale of the Spanish flu.

The author is in the Department of Virology and Molecular Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA. E-mail: robert.webster{at}stjude.org

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
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Containing Pandemic Influenza at the Source.
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Epidemiological evidence of an early wave of the 1918 influenza pandemic in New York City.
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H5N1 influenza: A protean pandemic threat.
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Influenza as a bioweapon.
M. Madjid, S. Lillibridge, P. Mirhaji, and W. Casscells (2003)
J R Soc Med 96, 345-346
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Clinical Evaluation of the ZstatFlu-II Test: a Chemiluminescent Rapid Diagnostic Test for Influenza Virus.
M. S. Hamilton, D. M. Abel, Y. J. Ballam, M. K. Otto, A. F. Nickell, L. M. Pence, J. R. Appleman, C. D. Shimasaki, and K. E. Achyuthan (2002)
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Emergence of multiple genotypes of H5N1 avian influenza viruses in Hong Kong SAR.
Y. Guan, J. S. M. Peiris, A. S. Lipatov, T. M. Ellis, K. C. Dyrting, S. Krauss, L. J. Zhang, R. G. Webster, and K. F. Shortridge (2002)
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The Genetics of Deadly Influenza Strains.
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Journal Watch Infectious Diseases 2001, 4
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New Thinking About Virulent Influenza.
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