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Sorry to bore y'all with facts, but, well, shite, here it goes:

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Ever heard of Swine Flu (H1N1)?

Origin of 2009 H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu): Questions and Answers
November 25, 2009 10:00 AM ET

Where did the 2009 H1N1 flu virus come from?
Why does CDC think this?
Have viruses similar to the 2009 H1N1 virus been seen before?
Why does the 2009 H1N1 flu virus have genes from humans, birds, and from pigs on different continents?
Was the 2009 H1N1 flu virus created in a laboratory?
How often does reassortment of influenza viruses occur?
What can be done to identify influenza viruses circulating in animals that have pandemic potential?
What scientific studies are available for additional information?
Where did the 2009 H1N1 flu virus come from?
The 2009 H1N1 influenza virus (referred to as “swine flu” early on) was first detected in people in the United States in April 2009. This virus was originally referred to as “swine flu” because laboratory testing showed that its gene segments were similar to influenza viruses that were most recently identified in and known to circulate among pigs. CDC believes that this virus resulted from reassortment, a process through which two or more influenza viruses can swap genetic information by infecting a single human or animal host. When reassortment does occur, the virus that emerges will have some gene segments from each of the infecting parent viruses and may have different characteristics than either of the parental viruses, just as children may exhibit unique characteristics that are like both of their parents. In this case, the reassortment appears most likely to have occurred between influenza viruses circulating in North American pig herds and among Eurasian pig herds. Reassortment of influenza viruses can result in abrupt, major changes in influenza viruses, also known as “antigenic shift.” When shift happens, most people have little or no protection against the new influenza virus that results. For more information, see “How the Flu Virus can Shift: Drift for Shift.”

Why does CDC think this?
There are three primary reasons why experts from CDC and other public health research institutions around the world think 2009 H1N1 influenza resulted from reassortment of influenza viruses that occur naturally among pigs.

Reason One
The different gene segments of the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus are traceable to influenza viruses found in pigs. All influenza viruses have eight genes. Six of the eight genes found within the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus are associated with influenza viruses that regularly cause illness in pigs in North America. The remaining two genes of the 2009 H1N1 flu virus are associated with influenza viruses that previously were only known to be circulating among pigs from Eurasia.1, 2 The mixing of live pigs from Eurasia and North America through international trade or other means could have created the circumstances necessary for influenza viruses from North American and Eurasian pigs to mix. In fact, a 2009 study in Nature demonstrated that reassortant influenza viruses with genes from North American and Eurasian pigs were found in samples collected from pigs in Hong Kong as early as 2004.2*

*The reassortant influenza viruses found in Hong Kong from 2004 are different from the 2009 H1N1 influenza viruses that have caused human illness around the world today, but these viruses serve as an example of how reassortment can occur naturally among influenza viruses found in Eurasian and North American pigs.

Reason Two
Evidence suggests that the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus has existed and evolved in nature for some time prior to being detected in humans. There are laboratory techniques available for looking at how and at what speed influenza viruses evolve and change. This is related to a concept known as “molecular evolution.” Evolution refers to small changes in influenza viruses that happen continually over time. Generally speaking, influenza viruses generate mutations by passing from one animal to another animal for several years and through virus replication in the animal host. These mutations are represented by changes in the nucleotides and amino acids found within influenza viruses. These small changes occur at a relatively stable rate in all influenza viruses. As a result, scientists can compare the number of mutations found within a new influenza virus with older, related influenza viruses to estimate the amount of time that it may have taken for one strain to evolve into a new strain of influenza virus. Researchers at CDC used this molecular evolution method to determine that the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus likely evolved in nature – perhaps through circulation in an unknown animal host – for a number of years before being detected. At this time, CDC continues to monitor the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus for changes. Research so far suggests that the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus is changing at a normal rate as compared to other influenza viruses.

Reason Three
The 2009 H1N1 influenza virus does not have the adaptations that are typical of influenza viruses grown or created in laboratories. For example, the standard method of growing influenza virus in laboratories involves injecting the virus into fertilized chicken eggs. The 2009 H1N1 influenza virus lacks the properties associated with growth in eggs.

Have viruses similar to the 2009 H1N1 virus been seen before?
Prior to the discovery of the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, this particular combination of gene segments from North American and Eurasian swine had never been detected before in a single influenza virus and this new virus is different from the influenza viruses that normally circulate in North American and Eurasian pigs. It is not known when reassortment occurred to create the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. Testing of the virus suggests that this reassortment event may have occurred years prior to the first reports of 2009 H1N1 influenza infection in people.1, 2 Scientists call 2009 H1N1 influenza a "quadruple reassortant" virus, because although each separate gene segment of the virus has been found in pigs previously, the individual gene segments of the virus originated from humans, birds, North American pigs and Eurasian pigs.