A pig has tested positive for H5N1 bird flu in a backyard farm in Oregon. The H5N1 bird flu was detected in a pig in Oregon, the first instance of a swine infection in the US, officials announced on Wednesday. Pigs get both bird flu viruses and human flu viruses, making them a genetic mixing bowl where H5N1 could gain genetic mutations that help it spread between humans. AdvertisementWhy pig infection could be a tipping pointPigs play host to both bird flu viruses and human flu viruses. Inside a pig, the H5N1 bird flu virus could pick up genetic mutations that help it adapt to better infect human bodies.

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Persons: —, Stacey Schultz, Cherry, Jude Children's, Jeremy Farrar, Diego Vara, Florian Krammer, Cynthia Goldsmith, Jackie Katz, Schultz, Richard Webby, Jude, Robert Giroux Organizations: Service, St, Jude Children's Research, World Health Organization, Reuters, US Department of Agriculture, USDA, Icahn, of Medicine, STAT, CDC, AP, WHO Locations: Oregon, South America, Sao Jose, Norte, Brazil, New York, St, New York City