Scientists pinpoint what makes West Nile deadly

PARIS (AFP) – Even as health officials warn against a West Nile epidemic in the United States this summer, scientists have pinpointed what makes the disease — unknown in North America a decade ago — so deadly, according to a study released Sunday.

The US researchers identified a single genetic mutation that causes the virus to become far more virulent, leading to increased mortality in wild birds and, almost certainly, in humans.

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