We read with interest a recent paper in Journal of Microbiology Immunology and Infection that reported Human infection caused by avian influenza A (H10N5) virus in China. Although avian influenza viruses (AIVs) have a diverse range of hosts, human infections with avian influenza are typically associated with subtypes such as H5Nx, H7N9, and H9N2. However, on January 27, 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported the death of a 63-year-old woman in Anhui Province, China, due to co-infection with seasonal influenza A (H3N2) subtype virus and avian influenza A (H10N5) subtype virus. Undoubtedly, this is the first time that human infection with H10N5 occurred.

On November 30, 2023, the patient chose to be hospitalized at a local hospital after experiencing symptoms of coughing, sore throat, and fever. Subsequently, on December 7, she was transferred to a neighboring medical institution in Zhejiang Province. Unfortunately, the patient passed away on December 16. Zhejiang Province health officials isolated seasonal influenza A (H3N2) subtype virus and avian influenza A (H10N5) virus from the patient´s samples on January 22, 2024. Through investigation and detection, the patient had exposure to live poultry through the purchase of a duck on 26 November 2023. From the duck meat stored in the fridge, seven samples were found to be positive for H10N5 and two sample were positive for N5 (no result for haemagglutinin). It is understood that the patient had close contact with ducks before the onset of symptoms. As of now, no new suspected cases of human infection have been found.