Prof. Lei Fumin in Center for Animal Disease Research & for Animal Evolution and Systematics, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), cooperating with China Agricultural University，Institute of Microbiology (CAS), Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, and Beijing Genomics Institute (CAS), isolated Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza virus H5N1 subtype from bar-headed goose (Anser indicus), great black-headed gull (Larus ichthyaetus) and brown-headed gull (Larus brunnicephalus) when he investigate on the bird death in Lake Qinghai.

Genomic and phylogenetic analyses revealed that several characteristics associated with high virulence were discovered: first, the sequence PQGERRRKKR/G, denoting multiple basic amino acids at the cleavage site of the hemagglutinin; second, a virulence island in the PB2 gene, E627K, first seen in Hong kong in 1997; and third, a deletion of 20 amino acids in neuramidase (amino acid positions 49to 69), The occurrence of this HPAI H5N1 infection in migrant waterfowl indicated that this virus has the potential to be a global threat. The result was published on Science.