Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Jan 02, 2026 2 hours, 9 minutes ago
Medical News: A New Bird Flu Strain Under the Spotlight
Scientists in China are raising fresh concerns about a rare bird flu strain called H10N3 that has infected humans in recent years. Although the number of cases remains small, new research shows that this virus has developed worrying abilities that allow it to infect mammals, including humans. This
Medical News report highlights why researchers believe H10N3 deserves close global attention.
Scientists warn that the rare H10N3 bird flu strain shows alarming signs of adapting to humans despite
low circulation in poultry
The study was carried out by researchers from Yangzhou University in Jiangsu, China. They are affiliated with the Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri Product Safety under the Ministry of Education of China, the Key Laboratory of Avian Bioproducts Development under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis. Their findings were published in the journal Animals and Zoonoses.
Human Infections Linked to Poultry Exposure
Between May 2021 and April 2025, six severe human cases of H10N3 infection were reported across several Chinese provinces including Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Yunnan, Guangxi, and Shaanxi. Patients ranged in age from 23 to 70 years. All of them had one thing in common: recent exposure to live poultry.
Importantly, health authorities found no evidence that the virus spreads easily from person to person. Instead, infections appear to occur sporadically when people come into close contact with infected birds or contaminated environments such as live poultry markets.
Low Levels in Birds but High Risk in Humans
Surveillance data collected from nearly 7,000 samples in live poultry markets in Eastern China showed that H10N3 is actually rare among birds, with a detection rate of just 0.41 percent. Most of the virus samples came from chickens, although recent detections in ducks suggest the virus may be evolving further.
What surprised researchers is that despite this low presence in birds, H10N3 has caused repeated severe infections in humans. This unusual pattern prompted scientists to investigate how the virus manages to cross the species barrier so effectively.
Genetic Changes That Help the Virus Adapt
The study found that H10N3 is a reassortant virus, meaning it is a genetic mix of several bird flu viruses. While its outer proteins come from H10 and N3 strains, its internal genes largely come from the widely circulating H9N2 virus, which is known to help bird flu viruses adapt to mammals.
Laboratory and animal studies revealed that H10N3 can bind to receptors commonly found in the human respiratory tract. It also carries genetic mutations that help it multiply efficiently in mammal cells. In mice, the virus caused severe lung damage and even death at low doses, showing a high level of virulence.
Why Severe Lung Damage Occurs
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Researchers discovered that once H10N3 infects the lungs, it can trigger an overwhelming immune response known as a cytokine storm. This leads to multiple types of cell death in lung tissue, causing acute lung injury. Such damage explains why all recorded human cases developed severe pneumonia and required intensive medical care.
Conclusions and Public Health Implications
In conclusion, while H10N3 is not currently spreading between humans, its ability to infect people, adapt to mammals, and cause severe lung disease makes it a virus that cannot be ignored. The study strongly emphasizes the need for continuous surveillance in poultry, better management of live bird markets, and a One Health approach that links animal, human, and environmental health to reduce the risk of a future outbreak.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Animals and Zoonoses.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950248925000847
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Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/h5n1-avian-flu
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