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Mike Mitka

JAMA. 2005;294:2416-2419.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Two teams of federal and university scientists have pieced together the genetic sequence of the virus that caused the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic and reconstructed the deadly pathogen.

The researchers report that the data and the live virus provide information that may be used to counter future flu outbreaks. However, the accomplishment has prompted some to worry that resurrecting the virus that infected 20% of the worldwide population and killed up to one out of every 40 people 87 years ago carries the risk of a repeat pandemic if the virus were accidentally released or fell into the hands of terrorists.

Terrence Tumpey, MD, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other scientists who reconstructed and characterized the 1918 pandemic influenza virus, wore protective equipment and used special practices to protect against viral escape. (Photo credit: James Gathany/CDC)

Details of the researchers’ efforts appear in reports . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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