Deadly pathogens i Texas labs/ Global Bird flu updates

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http://www.rense.com/general70/patho.htm

 

Some Of The Deadly Pathogens In Texas Labs

 

 

 

From Patricia Doyle, PhDdr_p_doyle4-7-6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello, Jeff - Among the deadly pathogens being worked with now across Texas are filoviruses (Marburg, Ebola), Rift Valley Fever another hemorrhagic, Nipah and other viruses mentioned in the following website: http://research.utmb.edu/CTD/wrce/index.shtm Dr. Doom is advocating the use of Ebola which, as you can see, is readily available in some of the University of Texas labs.

Is he simply talking, or... Patty Excerpt from http://www.sfbr.org/pages/news_release_detail.php?id=40 The primary research focus of the eight new RCEs will be agents the government has determined to be bioterror threats, often described as "select agents. Examples include anthrax, bubonic plague, Ebola, tularensis, and viral hemorrhagic fevers. The program, however, also addresses emerging infectious diseases such as dengue fever, mokeypox and SARS. Exerpt BSL-4 labs, also described as maximum containment laboratories, are specially equipped for the safe study of dangerous and infectious pathogens for which there is no known treatment or vaccine. Having such a state-of-the-art facility has allowed SFBR virologists to study select agents such as Ebola and Lassa fever since the lab "went hot in 2000. Already SFBR,s progress in biodefense has proven noteworthy. Just last summer, it joined the University of Texas at Austin in announcing success with an antibody that saved lab rats from anthrax toxin, which is what kills patients with late-stage anthrax infection. Funds from the RCE will support similar existing research programs at the Foundation and allow their further expansion. Another key collaborator in the RCE is SFBR,s Southwest National Primate Research Center, which will provide animals, facilities and expertise to researchers developing vaccines and therapies to treat infections with select agents. The primate center,s distinguished history in the humane and appropriate use of nonhuman primates in biomedical research becomes especially important in light of the FDA,s "two animal rule. Patty Patricia A. Doyle DVM, PhD Bus Admin, Tropical Agricultural Economics Univ of West Indies Please visit my "Emerging Diseases" message board at: http://www.emergingdisease.org/phpbb/index.php Also my new website: http://drpdoyle.tripod.com/ Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa Go with God and in Good Health

 

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/04050601/H5N1_Fujian_Spread_China.html

Commentary.Fujian H5N1 Bird Flu Spreads Throughout China Recombinomics CommentaryApril 5, 2006A report from the Ministry of Health from the People's Republic of China contains some additional genetic information on H5N1 isolates in China. Recently China released the HA sequences from three H5N1 patients in China. All three were closely related to a Fujian duck isolate, A/DK/Fujian/1734/05(H5N1) and had the same HA cleavage site, RERRRKR, which was missing a lysine. The recent report describes three additional human isolates, A/Jiangxi/1/2005(H5N1), A/Hunan/1/2005(H5N1), and A/Sichuan/1/2006(H5N1). These isolates would appear to be from the index cases for each of those provinces. All three cases were fatal (age, gender, date of death 35M, Dec4; 41F, Dec 21, 35F, Jan 11, respectively).Amino acid homology was available for the two most recent 2005 cases and like the first three cases, all were greater than 99% homologous to A/DK/Fujian/1734/05(H5N1) and all three had the same HA cleavage site (RERRRKR). These data indicate all six reported human cases in China are closely related to the Fujian strain as are the recent isolates from Malaysia and Laos. In China, there were human cases in five provinces (Anhui, Guangxi, Jiangxi, Fujian, Sichuan) indicating the Fujian strain is widespread.The report also showed that all of the human cases as well as two chicken sequences (A/CK/Hunan/21/05 and A/CK/Lianoning/23/05) had sequences indicating they would be sensitive to M2 ion channel blockers (Amantadine and Rimantidine) and neuraminidase inhibitors (Tamiflu and Relenza). However, the sequence homology for the Liaoning isolate was markedly lower (96.9% with the Fujian duck). The H5N1 outbreak in Liaoning was difficult to control and several vaccines were used, which was probably related to the lack of sequence homology. Sequence data fro the human Liaoning case was not included.The report also showed that the two most recent H5N1 human cases also had PB2 E627K, which is associated with a poor prognosis and is in all Qinghai strains. The report also had data on the isolate from the index case in Turkey, A/Turkey/12/06(H5N1). The report listed the HA S227N, but also indicated that the cleavage site was RERRRKKR, which if true would be unusual, because the cleavage site for the Qinghai strain was usually GERRRKKR (the report however may have been in error because the cleavage site for a bar headed goose isolate was listed as RERRRKKR, but the deposited sequence is GERRRKKR.

 

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/04050602/H5N1_Egypt_Sequence.html

Commentary.Egyptian Human and Bird HA H5N1 Sequences Are Similar Recombinomics CommentaryApril 5, 2006The HA sequence of a human H5N1 isolate from Egypt, A/Egypt/2782-NAMRU3/2006(H5N1), has been released. The description of a 30 year-old male from Qalubiya Governorate most closely matches the second patient reported to have H5N1 bird flu symptoms in Egypt. He has since recovered. The human H5N1 sequence is most closely related to a bird sequence from Egypt, A/chicken/Egypt/960N3-004/2006(H5N1). Both sequences are the Qinghai strain with HA cleavage site of GERRRKKR. Both also have a polymorphism, P239S, downstream from the receptor binding domain.The number of suspect H5N1 patient in Egypt continue to rise and more human and poultry sequences are expected. These sequences create a database that allows tracking of the H5N1 via shares polymorphisms. Moreover, the sequences trace the evolution of the H5N1, which has a Qinghai genetic background and a number of regional polymorphisms acquired by recombination.The diversity of the Qinghai sequences highlights the need for rapid release of the data. The first human sequences from the area, including A/Turkey/12/2006(H5N1), remain in a private WHO database and have not been released.Media SourcesMap

 

 

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/04040601/H5N1_Burkina_Faso_Confirmed.html

Commentary.H5N1 Bird Flu Confirmed in Burkina Faso Recombinomics CommentaryApril 4, 2006Burkina Faso has detected the dangerous H5N1 strain of bird flu in poultry on the outskirts of its capital Ouagadougou, making the West African country the fifth nation on the continent to report the disease."Further to deaths noted in February among poultry and wild birds, 65 specimens from various regions of the country were sent to reference laboratories of the World Organization for Animal Health and the Food and Agriculture Organization," Konate said.The results, communicated to the former French colony's government on Monday, confirmed the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu strain only at the Ouagadougou motel.The large number of bird deaths reported previously suggested H5N1 was in Burkino Faso. The large number of samples testing negative is cause for concern. Only five countries in Africa have confirmed H5N1, yet the birds deaths and migratory paths are widespread and the number of infected species is large.Detection of H5N1 is dependent both on surveillance as well as collection and testing methods. Although Europe has detected H5N1 in dead wild birds, they have yet to detect H5N1 in live wild birds. Other regions have detected H5N1 in dead or dying poultry, but have not detected H5N1 in wild birds.However, H5N1 is spreading world wide regardless of testing. The positive data in Burkingo Faso provides more data suggesting H5N1 is widespread in Africa and is migrating into western Europe and North America via the East Atlantic flyway which goes through western Africa and most of the countries reporting H5N1.Since Italy confirmed the H5N1, publication of the sequences are likely, although soon similar sequences will be detected in western Europe as the spring migration continues.More thorough and accurate testing in Africa would be useful to fill out the database of changes in the H5N1 Qinghai strain.

 

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/04040602/H5N1_Malaysia_Laos_2006.html

 

Commentary.Human H5N1 Bird Flu in China Migrates to Malaysia and LaosRecombinomics CommentaryApril 4, 2006China has recently released H5N1 HA sequences from human cases. These three isolates, from patients in Anhui and Guangxi were similar to a duck sequence from Fujian province (see below). Hong Kong University has released 2006 H5N1 sequences from Laos and Malaysia, and those isolates are also closely related to the duck sequence from Fujian province. A characteristic sequence (A/G495C, A/T496G, T497C) were present in the human isolates from China as well as the 2006 isolates from Laos and Malyasia.These sequences suggest that the H5N1 sequences capable of infecting humans has migrated down to Laos and Malaysia, raising concerns of human cases in those two countries as well as additional provinces in China.HKU (Yi Guan and Malik Peiris) are to be congratulated for releasing the 2006 sequences prior to publication.These sequences highlight the importance of a full and up to date database and also point toward the rapid evolution of H5N1 and its growing geographical reach. The recombination of these sequences with clade 1 H5N1 in Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia is cause for additional concern.A/G495C A/T496G T497C ISDN138756 A/chicken/Malaysia/935/2006 2006 H5N1 ISDN138780 A/duck/Laos/3295/2006 2006 H5N1 DQ371928 A/Anhui/1/2005 2005 H5N1 DQ371929 A/Anhui/2/2005 2005 H5N1 DQ095629 A/Duck/Fujian/1734/05 2005 H5N1 DQ371930 A/Guangxi/1/2005 2005 H5N1