Avian Influenza SEPT. Lab Report: Scientific Developments In The Fight Against H5N1

PCViking

PCViking

Lutefisk Survivor
Originally posted by Bill P in the weekly Bird Flu Thread: http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=211161 Post #11

Bill P said:
September 11, 2006

H5N1 replicates more strongly than common flu - study​

By Steve Holland and Thomas Ferraro

HONG KONG (Reuters) - The H5N1 bird flu virus replicates far more aggressively in people than common human flu viruses, a study of patients in Vietnam has found, offering further insight as to why the virus is so deadly.

The study, in the latest issue of Nature Medicine, also found that the virus had got into the blood stream of many of the human victims it killed, which means the virus could have spread to other parts of the body.

Menno de Jong, a key researcher in the study, explained that the unusually high viral loads triggered intense "cytokine" responses -- an immune system overreaction that can be fatal.

Cytokines are proteins in the immune system that fight off intruders such as bacteria and viruses.

"During H5N1 infection, the (cytokine) response seems to be very, very intense. Cytokines want to get rid of this intruder but if you have very high levels of cytokines, it can also damage the body ... it can be directed against your own cells and organs," de Jong told Reuters in an interview.

The study involved 18 people infected with H5N1 and 8 with human flu in 2004 and 2005 in Vietnam.

Scientists found far higher viral loads in the nose and throats of those infected with bird flu than human flu.

Thirteen of those infected with H5N1 died and the virus was found in the blood of at least 9 of them, implying it could have been transported out of the respiratory tract.

The virus was also found in the rectums of most of those with H5N1, suggesting it could have spread through the blood stream into the gastrointestinal tract.

Those with common flu had no virus in their blood or rectum. No one died in that group.

"The fatal outcome of H5N1 infections seems to be associated with high levels of replication of the virus and also the detection of the virus in the blood," said de Jong, of the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam.

The team was able to draw a connection between those who were most ill and the level of cytokines found in them.

"We found that levels of cytokines were much higher in H5N1 patients than in the human flu cases. Again, the highest levels of cytokines were found in those who died of H5N1," he said.

"The high levels of the virus triggered an overwhelming inflammatory response that contributed to lung dysfunction and eventual death."

De Jong highlighted the need to stop the virus replicating.

"What's important is to stop the replication as soon as possible, so you prevent damage to the lungs and prevent the inflammatory response to the virus," he said.

But he conceded that early diagnosis was a challenge, especially in remote places where health services were not readily available.


http://thestar.com.my/news/story.as...01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_-266907-1&sec=Worldupdates
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Improved test can detect avian or seasonal flu​

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L11615083.htm

By Patricia Reaney

LONDON, Sept 12 (Reuters) - An updated diagnostic test can simultaneously detect whether someone is suffering from an H5 strain of bird flu or seasonal influenza, its developer said on Tuesday.

The improved version eliminates the need for two tests, requires only one sample and can provide a diagnosis quickly.

"It is more efficient in that you can screen for H5 and also identify seasonal flu A and B," Dr Martin Curran, of Britain's Health Protection Agency (HPA) who devised the test, said in an interview.

Curran presented the improved test at the annual meeting of the HPA at the University of Warwick in central England. The HPA monitors infectious diseases in Britain.

He said timing would be vital in dealing with an outbreak of suspected bird flu.

"It is important that people are treated very quickly and that any contacts are treated as well. You need the results within 24 hours for Tamiflu to be effective," he said, referring to Swiss drug maker Roche's antiviral drug.

The updated test will be available in all HPA laboratories as part of its screening for H5 bird flu in the upcoming flu season which begins in October in Britain.

It was used in a recent outbreak of avian flu in Norfolk, in eastern England, where a poultry worker suffered from an eye infection caused by an avian virus.

The H5N1 strain of bird flu has killed 143 people since 2003, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Some 200 million birds have died or been culled.

It is still an animal virus but scientists fear it could mutate into a pandemic strain that would be highly infectious in humans.

"Although the risk of someone returning to the UK with H5 is quite small, it is crucial that we have tests available in case we do see a suspected case," said Curran.

Professor Pat Troop, the chief executive of the HPA, said the ability to test for both seasonal and H5 bird flu simultaneously is very reassuring.

"Most people tested for flu-like symptoms will be suffering from regular seasonal flu. However, if the pandemic alert levels were to change or we had an outbreak of avian flu in the UK, it's vital that we have the capacity to respond as effectively as possible," she said in a statement.
 
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