Federal health officials say that not only has a Louisiana resident contracted the first severe case of bird flu in the U.S., but that the virus likely mutated in the patient. The findings raise concern regarding the adaptability of the virus.

A genetic analysis suggests the bird flu virus mutated inside a Louisiana patient who contracted the first severe case of the illness in the United States. The U.S.

Public health officials are sounding the alarm after bird flu mutations were discovered in a Louisianan patient. Dozens of milder cases have been recorded in the U.S. this year.