At least it's H5N2, and not H5N1. That's the only upside. This is still a terrible development. H5N2 has a lower R0 and is more mild than H5N1, in birds at least.
Recombination is a widespread phenomenon in viruses and can have a major impact on their evolution. Indeed, recombination has been associated with the expansion of viral host ranges, the emergence of new viruses, the alteration of transmission vector specificities, increases in virulence and pathogenesis, the modification of tissue tropisms, the evasion of host immunity, and the evolution of resistance to antivirals.
At least it's H5N2, and not H5N1. That's the only upside. This is still a terrible development. H5N2 has a lower R0 and is more mild than H5N1, in birds at least.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/tbed.14675
A bird infected with both would be a petri dish for the two viruses to exchange gene strands I think?
I kind of forgot this was a thing