LONDON, June 28 (Reuters) - UK researchers have homed in on a human gene implicated in thwarting most bird flu viruses from infecting people. Nicknamed B-force by the researchers, the gene was found to block the replication of most strains of bird flu in human cells. However, the gene's antiviral activity failed to protect against seasonal human flu viruses. This gene is part of a broader defensive apparatus in the human immune arsenal against bird viruses. To be sure, viruses mutate all the time, and this does not mean that bird flu viruses could not evolve to escape the activity of BTN3A3.

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Persons: Massimo Palmarini, ”, Sam Wilson, Natalie Grover, Nancy Lapid, Christina Fincher Organizations: MRC, University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, World Health Organization, WHO, Thomson Locations: London