India H1N1 MIT study: Health ministry refutes mutation findings

In a recent study published in the journal, Cell Host & Microbe, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers report their finding that the outbreak of swine flu in India that started in December and has killed some 1,400 people, suggests that the strain has acquired mutations that make it more dangerous than previously circulating strains of H1N1 influenza.

The MIT team says this contradicts previous reports from Indian health officials that the strain has not changed from the version of H1N1 that emerged in 2009 and has been circulating around the world ever since.

MIT researchers, Ram Sasisekharan and Kannan Tharakaraman say they found that the recent Indian strains carry new mutations in the hemagglutinin protein that are known to make the virus more virulent. Hemagglutinin binds to glycan receptors found on the surface of respiratory cells, and the strength of that binding determines how effectively the virus can infect those cells.

One of the new mutations is in an amino acid position called D225, which has been linked with increased disease severity. Another mutation, in the T200A position, allows hemagglutinin to bind more strongly to glycan receptors, making the virus more infectious.

The study drew a response and rebuttal today from the India Health Ministry and the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune: