St. Jude study links Parkinson's, bird flu

In a study offering tantalizing clues into the origins of a devastating and mysterious ailment, Memphis-based researchers concluded that people who survive a strain of the bird flu have a significantly greater risk of developing Parkinson's disease.

Published in Monday's edition of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study by a team at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital found that mice infected with the A/Vietnam/1203/04 strain of the H5N1 avian influenza virus suffered neurological damage similar to that associated with Parkinson's.

The researchers found that the virus, having replicated in the lungs, travels nerve pathways and attacks small groups of cells in the brain stem.

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