March 2, 2010
Associated Press — MANHATTAN, NEW YORK
Over the past several months, an unusual variant of influenza has been implicated 239 reported deaths in the United States, concentrated amongst individuals positive for the Suresh Linkage Complex. This includes complications from the H1N1 vaccine inoculation which have resulted in the deaths of recipients. Researchers at the Mount Sinai Center for Research on Influenza Pathogenesis released findings yesterday that the virus involved in these cases may not be a mutation of the current H1N1 epidemic strain at all, but one of an entirely novel type.
Influenza strains are named according to molecule types present on the surface of the virus. Clinical isolates of the SLC-specific virus contain H5 antigen, but also have a previously undocumented N protein. According to the lab which discovered the unusual protein, there will be "several more tests" to verify that the finding is in fact authentic, although the researchers are "highly confident" in the validity of their work.
The strain has provisionally been designated "H5N10". It is believed that super-infection of earlier patients with the more prevalent H1N1 influenza led to mis-identification of the causative virus.