UC Davis Researchers Find Swine Flu In Elephant Seals Off California Coast

DAVIS (CBS/AP) -- Swine flu has been detected in elephant seals off the Central California coast.

The Contra Costa Times cited a University of California, Davis study that finds the seals contracted the H1N1 virus back in 2010, just as the pandemic caused by the virus was winding down in humans.

Professor Tracey Goldstein tells the newspaper that the influenza virus is known for its ability to cross species barriers, and this isn't the first time a marine mammal has been found to carry a human strain.

Researchers still aren't sure exactly how the seals contracted the virus but they say it's unlikely that it was from direct contact with people.

The researchers raised the possibility that seabirds may have passed on the virus.

Goldstein says the presence of H1N1 in seals is not a cause for alarm.

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