So, we're hearing more and more about this "new" strain of swine flu, believed responsible for as many as 60 deaths in Mexico and prompting the closure of Mexico City's schools. It even made the front page of DailyKos (that makes it serious).
There is an almost casual mention in news stories, however, that jumped out at me like a rabid bobcat:
It is genetically different from the fully human H1N1 seasonal influenza virus that has been circulating globally for the past few years. It contains DNA that is typical to avian, swine and human viruses, including elements from European and Asian swine viruses.
Link (emphasis mine)
From the WaPo:
Genetic analysis of the virus indicates it is highly unusual: It is a hybrid that resulted from a combination of four different viruses -- one that typically infects people, one that originated in North American birds and two from pigs in Europe and Asia.
Link (emphasis mine)
Those are some damned clever little viruses, getting together from widely disparate geographical areas. Almost like they had help...
Some of you medical Kossacks explain, in simple terms us peasants can understand, just how this happens in the real world, because it strikes me as improbable, at best.