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A Dutch scientist performing U.S.-backed biodefense research was
able to modify an avian flu strain into a more virulent version of the
lethal virus, eliciting concerns that the findings could be
misappropriated for acts of biological terrorism, Radio Netherlands
Worldwide reported on Friday (see GSN, Oct. 24).
The U.S. National Institutes of Health requested that Rotterdam-based
molecular virology professor Ron Fouchier examine whether the avian
influenza virus H5N1 could cause a massive outbreak, according to the
newspaper
de Volkskrant.
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