Taiwan: Avian flu mutation detected: CDC:Tamiflu Resistance

[Treyfish]

Avian flu mutation detected: CDC

By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter




In the nation?s first case of H7N9 avian influenza, diagnosed in a 69-year-old Taiwanese man who returned from China with flu symptoms late last month, the virus has developed mutation and a resistance to antiviral drugs, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said.
An examination of a sample of the virus, collected from the man who is still in hospital, has similar hemagglutinin-neuraminidase to the newly mutated H7N9 virus found in China.
It is highly pathogenic to birds, but does not show an increased ability to transmit from bird to human, or human to human, the agency said on Monday.
?The mutated virus might be more lethal to birds, so disease prevention must be enhanced to prevent cases being imported from China,? CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said yesterday.
?The virus sample was resistant to the antiviral medication oseltamivir [Tamiflu],? he said, adding that the man?s condition is serious and he was moved to a negative pressure isolation room early this month.
Lo said the CDC held a specialists? meeting on Monday and decided to treat the man using oral favipiravir, an experimental antiviral drug for treating the Ebola virus.
The CDC said that its airport quarantine personnel detected flu symptoms in the man when he arrived on Jan. 25 and suggested he seek medical treatment, which he did on the same day and was referred to a medical center the following day.
There was no delay in reporting or diagnosing the case, the CDC said... http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/fron.../22/2003665462

[sharon sanders]

hat tip Michael Coston

Monday, February 20, 2017

Taiwan CDC: January's Imported H7N9 Case Carried HPAI Mutation

Taiwan in relation to China

#12,241


While its ultimate impact and importance are far from certain, the `big' avian flu story over the weekend was the announcement from Guangdong Province's CDC of Two H7N9 `Variants' Isolated From Human Cases. Also detected in local poultry, these variant viruses appear to have acquired the HA genetic markers that change them from low path (LPAI) to high (HPAI)in birds.

Unlike all of the other avian flu viruses we are following, H7N9 is the only LPAI virus (essentially benign in birds) that can cause serious - even fatal - illness in humans.

Today Taiwan's CDC is announcing that their 5th imported H7N9 case from late January (see Taiwan CDC Announces An Imported H7N9 Case)- who remains hospitalized in critical condition - carried a virus with similar changes to its HA gene. A case they described as `. . . . a 69-year-old man with a history of contact in Yangjiang, Guangdong Province, China, with no bird or suspected history of illness.'

Additionally, Taiwan reports his infection shows signs of antiviral resistance (Tamiflu (c) & Relenza (c)), although this may have been the result of a `spontaneous' mutation in the patient while undergoing treatment.

So far, these reported changes to the HA gene only appear to affect its pathogenicity in birds, and we've seen no indication that it increases the risk to humans. The caveat being, information is often slow to come out of China and it is impossible to predict where this variant's evolutionary path will ultimately take it.

Meanwhile, this third human case from Guangdong Province suggests this new variant may be biologically `fit' enough to have some `legs'. Epidemiologists are no doubt scrambling to determine the size and scope of its spread.

Mutations occur constantly in flu viruses, but only rarely do they convey a significant evolutionary advantage. Most are neutral, or even detrimental to the virus's survival. While it is too soon to predict how this one will impact H7N9's course, no one is taking it lightly.



This (translated) announcement from Taiwan's CDC.

UNDCP continues to monitor the international H7N9 flu epidemic and virus epidemics, the people to the Chinese mainland should be vigilant, not near birds and personal hygiene protection measures


The Illness Control Agency on February 13 from February 4 this year, the first confirmed H7N9 outside the case moved to the case of the successful separation of the virus, and on February 15 to complete the whole gene sequence analysis, the relevant sequence message was on February 16 to provide farmers The committee was regularly distributed to the global GISAID website to share with the world, and today the meeting was confirmed by the Expert Advisory Committee on Influenza Advisory Committee.

The results showed that the H7N9 influenza virus was isolated from the case, and its erythrocyte lectin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) protein gene were similar to H7N9 influenza virus isolated from China. Other internal protein gene combinations Compared with the current virus is slightly different, may be a new genotype, the birds with high pathogenicity, but no enhancement of birds or human transmission ability of the mutation.

The Agency has said that the addition of three basic amino acids to the H7N9 virus isolated from the case of the HA protein cleavage may improve its pathogenicity in poultry. In addition, further gene sequence analysis showed that the NA protein of the virus has a mutation, anti-viral agents such as influenza and Ruileansa drug resistance, experts speculate that the treatment process may be selected from the drug resistance virus.


more...

http://afludiary.blogspot.com/2017/02/taiwan-cdc-januarys-imported-h7n9-case.html