New Genetically Modified Chickens Can't Transmit Bird Flu, Scientists Say
They still get sick and die; they just can't spread the disease Future chicken cutlets may come from birds that have been genetically modified to resist bird flu, after a breakthrough in Britain announced this week. Researchers have produced chickens that cannot spread avian flu to other chickens, a major step toward protecting birds - and humans - from the deadly virus. The transgenic cluckers still died from bird flu, however, so there's still much more to be done before scientists produce a truly flu-free bird. Generating flu-resistant birds may be more effective than giving vaccinations to an entire flock, said Dr. Laurence Tiley, a veterinarian and lecturer in molecular virology at the University of Cambridge, England, one of the authors of the chicken study. Vaccinated birds may not develop flu, but the virus can still replicate in their bodies and be transmitted to other unvaccinated fowl, he explained in a podcast...