Interaction with avian H5N1 in pigs
Pigs are unusual as they can be infected with influenza strains that usually infect three different species: pigs, birds and humans.[59] This makes pigs a host where influenza viruses might exchange genes, producing new and dangerous strains.[59] Avian influenza virus H3N2 is endemic in pigs in China and has been detected in pigs in Vietnam, increasing fears of the emergence of new variant strains.[60] H3N2 evolved from H2N2 by antigenic shift.[61] In August 2004, researchers in China found H5N1 in pigs.[62]
These H5N1 infections may be quite common: in a survey of 10 apparently healthy pigs housed near poultry farms in West Java, where avian flu had broken out, five of the pig samples contained the H5N1 virus. The Indonesian government has since found similar results in the same region. Additional tests of 150 pigs outside the area were negative.[63][64]
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