The persistence of H5N1 avian influenza viruses in many Asian countries and their ability to cause fatal infections in humans have raised serious concerns about a global flu pandemic¹. Here we report the isolation of an H5N1 virus from a Vietnamese girl that is resistant to the drug oseltamivir², which is an inhibitor of the viral enzyme neuraminidase and is currently used for protection against and treatment of influenza. Further investigation is necessary to determine the prevalence of oseltamivir-resistant H5N1 viruses among patients treated with this drug.

1. National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Hanoi, Vietnam
2. Division of Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan
3. Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
4. Daiichi Pharmaceutical, Tokyo 134-8630, Japan
5. National Institute for Clinical Research in Tropical Medicine, Hanoi, Vietnam
6. Department of Biochemistry, University of Shizuoka, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and COE Program in the 21st Century, Yada, Shizuoka-shi 422-8526, Japan
7. International Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan
8. Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA

Correspondence to: Yoshihiro Kawaoka^2,3,7,8 Email: kawaoka@ims.u-tokyo.ac.jp

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