Avian Influenza is a contagious virus that usually infects all species of birds, but it has recently been tracked to infect humans as well, putting many people at fear of an influenza pandemic. This virus is normally found in free flying birds for example, shorebirds, gulls and other seabirds. The problem arises when domestic poultry like chicken and turkeys become infected and has recently been connected to humans today.
             The first reports of Avian Influenza were in Italy in 1878 where it was seen as a serious disease of chickens. At the time they called it the fowl plague it wasn't till many years later that they changed it to Avian Influenza. It was 1955 when they determined it one of the influenza viruses. What determines a virus to be influenza is whether or not the virus particle has an envelope with glycoprotein projections with hem agglutinating and neuraminidase activity. This sounds very complicated but, these two surface antigens are identified in simpler terms with only the letters H and N. It has been recorded that there are 15 hem agglutinating and 9 neuraminidase antigens in a type A influenza. Which brings us to types A, B, C influenzas; type A is the most common influenza virus that will affect domestic animals in addition to the possibility of humans. Type B and C influenza does not have the ability to infect domestic animals, it is not as harmful. Surprisingly, Avian influenza normally doesn't make wild birds sick, but domesticated birds become very ill and in many instances it will kill them. Generally this virus doesn't infect humans; however there have been some reports for human outbreaks since 1997, letting us know that Avian Influenza is a risky Type A influenza.
             In order to see the symptoms of Avian Influenza in humans we need to know the characteristics of Avian Influenza in birds. The virus is carried in their intestines and spread by shedding it. The ways in which birds shed th...