Does New Swine Flu Virus Kill By Causing A ‘Cytokine Storm’?

The swine flu outbreak that began in Mexico and continues to spread around the globe may be particularly dangerous for young, otherwise healthy adults because it contains genetic components of the H5N1 avian influenza virus, which can induce a “cytokine storm,” in which a patient’s hyper-activated immune system causes potentially fatal damage to the lungs.

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Filed under: Immune System / Vaccines on May 9th, 2009