Japan, South Korean bird flu virus almost identical

Research by a Japanese institute shows that the gene sequence of the bird flu virus found in Japan and that found in South Korea are virtually the same, the Agriculture Ministry said on Friday.

Japan's National Institute of Animal Health studied the viruses found in one outbreak in South Korea in early December and four in Japan, a ministry official said.

Japan confirmed its first case of bird flu in nearly 80 years in January in the southwestern tip of the country's main island of Honshu.

The ministry said in a statement that the study showed that the gene sequences of the viruses, determined as the H5N1 strain, matched by more than 99 percent.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/T270663.htm
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related link:


...And advanced forms of biological warfare
that can "target" specific genotypes may
transform biological warfare from the realm
of terror to a politically useful tool....


http://www.newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf