The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that a single severe case of bird flu detected in a Louisiana man shows a rare mutation of the virus.

The patient’s samples showed mutations in the hemagglutinin (HA) gene, the part of the virus that plays a key role in its attaching to host cells, which were not seen in the infected flock on that person’s property.

But the CDC maintains that the risk to the general public remains low. The man’s infection was first reported on Dec. 13, and there have been a total of 61 reported human cases of H5 bird flu reported in the United States since April.

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The patient is above the age of 65 and was suffering from a severe respiratory illness.

Michael Osterholm, a University of Minnesota infectious disease researcher, told the Associated Press that the mutation doesn’t mean the virus is set to be more infectious.

“Is this an indication that we may be closer to seeing a readily transmitted virus between people? No,” Osterholm said. “Right now, this is a key that sits in the lock, but it doesn’t open the door.”

The patient was infected with the D1.1 genotype of the virus that was recently detected in wild birds and poultry, and not the B3.13 genotype detected in dairy cows, human cases and some poultry in multiple states. Recently, over a dozen big cats in a wildlife sanctuary died after contracting H5N1, or bird blue. Most humans infected with bird flu work on poultry or dairy farms and then undergo mild illnesses.

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Though the virus is of little concern at the moment, Osterholm warns it should continue to be monitored.

“There will be additional influenza pandemics and they could be much worse than we saw with COVID,” he said. “We know that the pandemic clock is ticking. We just don’t know what time it is.”