New strain of bird flu killed harbor seals

A new influenza virus that has mutated to be able to leap from birds to mammals was responsible for the outbreak of fatal pneumonia that left more than 100 harbor seals dead off the coast of New England last fall.

The virus, which was previously only commonly found in wild birds, was the subject of new research published this week by scientists at the Center for Infection & Immunity at Columbia University. The center helped to conduct testing on the seals after they began washing up on the shore.