Russian Scientists Prove Mosquitoes, Bats Are Avian Influenza Vectors

[AlaskaDenise]

(this is snipped from a long interesting article on BF in Russia).....

On 5 October, the website JustMedia.Ru reported that Russian virologists have convincingly demonstrated the ability of blood-sucking mosquitoes (Culex pipiens) to transmit influenza A viruses, including the traditional human strain H3N2 and the avian flu strain H5N1. The discovery was announced by the Sverdlovsk Oblast regional office of the Federal Service for Surveillance in the Area of Protection of Consumer Rights and Human Welfare [Rospotrebnadzor]. The report went on to state that carriage of human influenza strains has also been established in bats.

http://www.xignite.com/xWorldNews.aspx?articleid=CEP20061009346001

[Dark Horse]

Re: Russian Scientists Prove Mosquitoes, Bats Are Avian Influenza Vectors

(this is snipped from a long interesting article on BF in Russia).....

On 5 October, the website JustMedia.Ru reported that Russian virologists have convincingly demonstrated the ability of blood-sucking mosquitoes (Culex pipiens) to transmit influenza A viruses, including the traditional human strain H3N2 and the avian flu strain H5N1. The discovery was announced by the Sverdlovsk Oblast regional office of the Federal Service for Surveillance in the Area of Protection of Consumer Rights and Human Welfare [Rospotrebnadzor]. The report went on to state that carriage of human influenza strains has also been established in bats.

http://www.xignite.com/xWorldNews.as...20061009346001

That's some of the worst news we've had in some time.

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Russian Scientists Prove Mosquitoes, Bats Are Avian Influenza Vectors

I'd like to see confirmation from another source - especially about the mosquito.

THE HOUSE MOSQUITO (CULEX PIPIENS)

With 11 species, Culex is the second largest genus of California mosquitoes. Females of this group have short palpi and a blunt, rather than pointed abdomen. Unlike most Ochlerotatus, they tend to have numerous generations in a year. Several hundred eggs are laid packed together in rafts. A female can lay six or seven times in her forty to fifty day life span.


Culex pipiens occurs on every continent except Antarctica and is the most widely distributed mosquito in the world. In North America two races range north (Cx. pipiens pipiens) and south (Cx. pipiens quinquefasciatus) of 39?N latitude, about the level of Sacramento. Cx. p. pipiens lives in the milder coastal climate areas, while Cx. p. quinquefasciatus is found in the warmer inland valleys.

Culex pipiens' main host is wild birds, but it also feeds freely on a wide variety of warm-blooded vertebrates, including man. In northern California, it currently plays only a lesser roll as a carrier of human disease, while in southern California and the Gulf Coast region it is a major carrier of Saint Louis encephalitis. It is also the best known carrier of West Nile Virus, a severe encephalitis virus newly arrived in the Americas that is spreading along the eastern seaboard.


Culex pipiens is a serious pest, called the "house mosquito" becaues it commonly develops in small containers around the home. It shows great skill in finding ways to get into the house where it feeds on the occupants at night. It also occurs in containers and sumps on farms and industrial plants, in polluted waters, and will feed out-of-doors at night.

In Marin and Sonoma counties, complaints are most numerous in the late summer and early fall. Coastal communities like Bolinas, Stinson Beach and Bodega Bay are especially plagued by this mosquito. Complaints of being bitten at night while sleeping are sure to refer to Cx. pipiens since it is the only mosquito in this area that bites throughout the night. Locating the breeding sites sometimes takes a group effort and the skills of a detective.

Septic tank sources. Cx. pipiens larvae typically develop best in dirty, stagnant water containing abundant organic matter, in ground pools and natural and man-made containers. Vector technicians often find improperly installed or maintained underground septic tanks producing huge numbers of this species. The mosquitoes gain entrance thorough cracks in the ground, through poorly fitting or unsealed covers, or by the vent pipes made for removal of gases. We recommend that all vents be covered with window screening, preferably aluminum screen, to exclude adults.

<CENTER><TABLE cellPadding=2 width=377 border=1><TBODY><TR><TD></TD><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></CENTER><CENTER>

A house mosquito feeds on a Hawaiian 'i'iwi bird. Mosquito-borne malaria infections caused the extinction of many Hawaiian native bird species within a few years after Culex pipiens was introduced to the islands. [Photos: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, September 1995]

</CENTER>

http://www.msmosquito.com/cpipiens.html

[gsgs]

Re: Russian Scientists Prove Mosquitoes, Bats Are Avian Influenza Vectors

that's just a curiosity, but probably not a danger for humans.
Remember, flu circulates in Winter, when there are no mosquitos.

[Sonny]

1983 H5N2 outreak in PA USA.Isolation of avian influenza from insects.

[1]
Characterization of virulent and avirulent {H5N2} A/chicken/Pennsylvania/83 influenza A viruses: potential role of defective interfering RNAs in nature.

http://jvi.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/54/1/151?ijkey=0384522919339e67dc5d83db0bc00fa6fcf247c2&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha

Chickens infected with the virulent strain shed high concentrationsof virus in their feces (10(7) 50&#37; egg infective dose per g),and the virus was isolated from the albumin and yolk of eggslayed just before death. Virus was also isolated from houseflies in chicken houses.



[2]
http://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/extra/pdf...hts-PJ-pt1.pdf
pdf file pages 2.of 2.

Isolation of avian influenza from insects.

In: Arbovirus research in Australia. Proceedings Fourth Symposium, Brisbane, Australia, p. 221-226. <o:p></o:p>
Wilson, D.D., E.T. Schmidtmann, R.D. Richard, R.D. Lehman, T.D. St George, B.H. Kay (ed.), and J. Blok. (1986). NAL Call Number: RC114.5.A7<o:p></o:p>

Descriptors: epidemiology, disease vectors, avian influenza virus, insects, Coleoptera, Diptera, Musca domestica, Hydrotaea aenescens, Coproica hirtula, Alphitobius diaperinus, Dermestes maculatus.

Pennsylvania outbreak winter '1983/4 (H5N2)

Percent adult insect pools positive for avian influenza virus
(number tested)

Nov ’ 83-Jan ’84 ------------ Jan - Feb ’84

Musca domestica ----------15% (20) ---------------42% (52)
Ophyra (Hydrotaea aenescens 57% (7) -------------31% (16)
Alphitobius diaperinus -------------------------------3% (34)
Coproica hirtula ------------------------------------39% (18)

10:14 PM
I just now saw the other thread on flies. I don't know, maybe this post should go there? rather then with the mosquitos' thread? sorry

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15522

[Sally Furniss]

Re: Russian Scientists Prove Mosquitoes, Bats Are Avian Influenza Vectors

that's just a curiosity, but probably not a danger for humans.
Remember, flu circulates in Winter, when there are no mosquitos.

gs it depends on how low temperatures go during winter.

Some countries don't have winter.

Also a pandemic flu is not going to be restricted to winter months.

[KBD]

Re: Russian Scientists Prove Mosquitoes, Bats Are Avian Influenza Vectors

that's just a curiosity, but probably not a danger for humans.
Remember, flu circulates in Winter, when there are no mosquitos.

If only that were true! H5N1 has mostly infected people in countries with tropical and subtropical climates, where mozzies happily suck blood all year round! If this report is indeed true -- and I would like to see it subject to peer review -- I think it could be a concern. Kenny

[Corn]

Re: Russian Scientists Prove Mosquitoes, Bats Are Avian Influenza Vectors

Also the fact that the more humans a mosquito can infect the more chance AI could adapt to H2H2H....

[sharon sanders]

Re: Russian Scientists Prove Mosquitoes, Bats Are Avian Influenza Vectors

I would like to see more data on the Sverdlovsk Oblast regional office of the Federal Service for Surveillance in the Area of Protection of Consumer Rights and Human Welfare, as well as, the study itself. It is hard to detemine the validity of such a finding without having access to the abstract, at least, and/or the names of the authors.

Interesting find AD.

[gsgs]

Re: Russian Scientists Prove Mosquitoes, Bats Are Avian Influenza Vectors

but it shows that moscitos are not so important for flu-spread.
Flu can well spread entirely without moscitos in winter in some countries.

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Russian Scientists Prove Mosquitoes, Bats Are Avian Influenza Vectors

Given that insects can be both mechanical (dirty feet) vectors and internal vectors (blood, sputum, etc.) I wonder about the actual numbers of cases. Since poultry biosecurity guidelines has provided buidance for this problem, it must be significant.

Despite the lack of multiple studies on influenza and mosquitos, since the Culex pipiens can spread West Nile Virus, I think I'll put it on my "strong maybe" list.

About WNV....

The virus is mostly maintained in birds. Female mosquitos, mainly of the species Culex pipiens, Culex restuan and Culex quinquefasciatus, bite infected birds, carry the virus in their salivary glands, and infect other birds when they bite again. Culex pipiens is thought to be the main mosquito species transmit the virus from birds to mammals. In mammals the virus does not multiply as readily, and it is believed that mosquitos biting infected mammals do not further transmit the virus. A paper in the journal Science in 2004 found that Culex pipiens mosquitos existed in two population in Europe, one which bites birds and one which bites humans. In North America 40% of Culex pipiens were found to be hybrid of the two types which bites both birds and humans, providing a vector for West Nile virus. This is thought to provide an explanation of why the West Nile disease has spread more quickly in North America than Europe.

http://www.news-medical.net/?id=822

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Russian Scientists Prove Mosquitoes, Bats Are Avian Influenza Vectors

Isolation of strains of the Hong Kong complex (H3N2) influenza virus from Nyctalus noctula bats in Kazakhstan

[Article in Russian]

• L'vov DK,
• Easterday B,
• Hinshow W,
• Dandurov IuV,
• Arkhipov PN.

Four antigenically related hemagglutinating agents were isolated from pools of lungs and tracheas of Nyctalus noctula bats in chick embryos. Identification of the isolates by the hemagglutination inhibition, neuraminidase activity inhibition and double immunodiffusion methods revealed close antigenic relationships with A/Port Chalmers/73 virus.
PMID: 158260

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=158260&dopt=Abstract

[4-ABBA]

Re: Russian Scientists Prove Mosquitoes, Bats Are Avian Influenza Vectors

Also the fact that the more humans a mosquito can infect the more chance AI could adapt to H2H2H....

If mosquitoes are indeed a vector--they feed off of thousands of other mammalian species besides humans-- dont they? This could carry it into huge numbers of a Vast array of mammals....

[JetStuuby]

Re: Russian Scientists Prove Mosquitoes, Bats Are Avian Influenza Vectors

This is bad news. While peer review may reveal more, it does seem very possible that mosquitoes transmitting blood could transmit the virus.

This along with flies as a vector may begin to explain some of the simultaneous outbreaks during 1918, that occurred with no apparent human transmission to the region.

This is bad news I believe

Time to invest in fly-screens for doors and windows for those of us in countries that do not normally have them as normal household items.

[Snowy Owl]

Re: Russian Scientists Prove Mosquitoes, Bats Are Avian Influenza Vectors

This is no surprise, yesterday Pateur Institute release some informations concerning the transformation of the arbovirus chikungunya from the Aedes Aegypti to the Aedes albopictus, in the case of chikungunya the transformation of the virus has been disastrous, but transformation of the virulence can go the other way around.

More studies is on its way concerning that.

Besides, in Indonesia where H5N1 is endemic and a country full of Aedes Aegypti, we have not yet witness an exponential rise that are typical of mosquitos transmission as demonstrated in the Island of La R?union.

Confer to

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?p=71481#post71481