Scientist and a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur, Philadelphia Eagles, Phillies, and Max Verstappen/RBR. Opinions are my own.
Boston, MA
Joined March 2011
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Guha Arunkumar retweeted
Very concerning thread if this is confirmed. A seasonal influenza surge combined with H5N1 infections in humans brings concerns about reassortment between the viruses...
Guha Arunkumar retweeted
The #H5N1 death in Yakima county, Washington, is assumed to be the cow-adapted genotype B3.13. If so, this is the first human death from B3.13, with past human deaths being associated with the D1.1 genotype. The person who died had pre-existing conditions, but not enough information to assess if host or viral factors were more influential. Past human B3.13 cases generally had mild infection.
cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influen…
aphis.usda.gov/news/agency-a…
Guha Arunkumar retweeted
676T was the original residue from pre-2024 H5N1, but 676A got fixed in 2024 B3.13, both in geese and cows?
nature.com/articles/s41586-0…
Guha Arunkumar retweeted
University of Washington has uploaded full human seq
A/Washington/UW-110701/2026 | 10/29/26
that is closely related to first case
A/Washington/198/2026 | 10/12/26
but has a later collection date
Both are B3/13 genotype
Not yet in BLAST database
Guha Arunkumar retweeted
There are now 3 confirmed H5N1 human cases linked to Yakima County WA dairy herds
CDC has released full seq of first case
B3.13 genotype
Washington State has released partial seq which matches CDC
CDC H5 seq marked "newly added" in attached H5 tree generated by GISAID
So happy for Kimi and what a superb win for Max. What an incredible podium for Kimi to be on as World Champion. Verstappen wins from fifth finally! #MexicoGP #MexicoCityGP #F1 #P1
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Guha Arunkumar retweeted
KIMI ANTONELLI IS WORLD CHAMPION!
So great he's on the podium to celebrate it and it's with Max and Lewis too. Perfect podium.
Guha Arunkumar retweeted
How has Madueke not been sent off there. One rule for one and one for another
Guha Arunkumar retweeted
Blog - Washington State Confirms Human Avian Flu Infection - 2nd Human Case (Yakima County) in Serious Condition, by @Fla_Medic flutrackers.com/threads/wash… #H5N1
Guha Arunkumar retweeted
Two human cases of bird flu in Yakima County, including one patient hospitalized with severe illness, are concerning reminders that this threat continues even as attention fades.
We need timely information on:
1️⃣ Genomic sequencing from both cases to assess relatedness and any concerning viral changes.
2️⃣ Detailed exposure histories, including any shared exposures or possible epidemiologic links.
3️⃣ Patients’ symptoms and clinical course.
4️⃣Treatments received and outcomes.
Just because we want to ignore infectious diseases doesn’t mean they’ve gone away. The pathogens remain and continue to evolve which is why surveillance is critical.
yakimacounty.us/DocumentCent…
Guha Arunkumar retweeted
My feed is currently full of takes treating a Utah mink farm like a Bond villain's volcano lair ("Dr. Evil tries to spark a pandemic", "classical dangerous Gain of Function experiment").
The limited sequence data actually show this:
We have 10 mink genomes in NCBI/NextStrain (QB062305–QB062376 + SRR40350173), all sampled on a single day (Aug 7). Because they form a three-step internal ladder on the tree, they don't just capture a point spillover—their standing diversity traces back ~6–7 weeks to a mid-June farm ancestor (~2026.46).
What did the virus actually do during ~7 weeks in mink?
- HA (568 codons) accumulated zero amino acid changes. Every mink HA protein is 100% identical to neighboring May/June ID & UT dairy cattle.
- Canonical PB2 mammalian sweeps (627K, 701N, 271A): zero.
- Instead, the basal mink stem fixed changes in the polymerase and M2 (PB2 Q13R, PB1 K388R, PA I129T, M2 G58D/S64F). An internal branch (8/10 tips) added PB2 I399T and reverted NS1 T60A back to the pre-2025 residue, and a nested split (5/10 tips) added PB1 N642T.
- Downstream spread into cattle, poultry, wild birds, or humans since August: zero.
Our genomic window on that farm closes on Aug 7 because the October follow-up samples still haven't been released. Less movie-pitch hyperbole and faster open deposits in GenBank would be a nice start.
