Probable limited person-to-person transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) virus in China.

The article presents a study investigating the possibility of person-to-person transmission of the H5N1 strain of the influenza A virus between a father and son in China. Clinical and virological data involving the two cases of H5N1 infection and that of the 91 people who had close contact with both cases were collected and analyzed. All contacts tested negative for H5N1 antibodies, while the isolated H5N1 virus from the father and son were genetically identical. Researchers conclude that limited person-to-person transmission of the H5N1 virus probably occurred between the family members.