Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

[HenryN]

Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

Germany Finds H5N1 Bird Flu in Three Wild Birds (Update1)

By Patrick Donahue



June 24 (Bloomberg) -- German authorities found the H5N1 bird-flu virus in three wild birds in the southern state of Bavaria, the first trace of the highly contagious disease to be found in wild birds in the European Union this year.
The city of Nuremberg in northern Bavaria, where two dead swans and a dead goose were found with the H5N1 virus, established a restricted zone and the federal government will send in an epidemiology team, according to a statement from the city government today. The European Commission has been notified.
``These measures are aimed at preventing the spread of avian influenza from wild birds to poultry or other captive birds, as well as the contamination of products,'' the Brussels-based commission said in an e-mailed statement today.
The disease has been found in geese and turkeys in a total of four farms in Hungary, the U.K. and the Czech Republic this year, though not yet in wild birds, according to the commission. In 2006, it was detected in more than 700 wild birds in the EU.
Three days ago, authorities in the Czech Republic confirmed an outbreak of the virus at a turkey farm some 180 kilometers (112 miles) east of Prague near the town of Usti.
Avian influenza was first detected in Germany on the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen in February of 2006, with the first case detected in domestic poultry six months later.
While bird flu has killed millions of poultry in about 60 countries, it is known to have infected only 313 people in a dozen countries since 2003, according to the World Health Organization. Millions could die if H5N1 develops the characteristics of seasonal flu and begins spreading easily between people, touching off a global outbreak.
To contact the reporter on this story: Patrick Donahue in Berlin at pdonahue1@bloomberg.net .
Last Updated: June 24, 2007 12:00 EDT

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601202&sid=a6jfmWY_36Kw&refer=healthcare

[HenryN]

Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

H5N1 VIRUS

Deadly strain of bird flu resurfaces in Germany

06/25/2007
The country's top veterinary laboratory confirmed that three wild birds -- two swans and a goose -- found in two lakes near Nuremberg had tested positive for the worst strain of the H5N1 virus.

The deadly strain of the bird flu virus has resurfaced in Germany in the bodies of at least three dead birds found in the state of Bavaria, Germany's first confirmed cases this year, officials said on Sunday.
The corpses of several more birds found in the southern state are being analysed to see if they also contain the deadliest strain of the H5N1 virus, a spokeswoman for the Bavarian city of Nuremberg said.
The country's top veterinary laboratory, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, confirmed that three wild birds -- two swans and a goose -- found in two lakes near Nuremberg had tested positive for the worst strain of the H5N1 virus.
"Over the next few days the city of Nuremberg will be supported by a federal epidemiological team which will scientifically investigate the causes and background of the infection cases," the city of Nuremberg said in a statement.
It said that poultry farmers in the region were required to confine all poultry birds to closed stalls. It added that as of Saturday a 21-day ban had been imposed on bringing poultry birds or products in or out of the area, now a quarantine zone.
City officials also warned cat and dog owners not to allow their pets to roam freely in the quarantine zone. Germany quickly passed this information on to the European Commission. "Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 was detected in more than 700 wild birds in the EU in 2006," the Commission said in a statement. It added that the infected swans in Bavaria were the European Union's first cases reported in wild birds in 2007.
Dead birds
Five other dead birds found near Nuremberg tested positive for the H5N1 virus but it remains unclear whether they have the deadly Asian strain, German officials said. In addition to the dead swans and goose, the body of at least one wild duck has been confirmed to have some form of the H5N1 virus, Nuremberg city said. The Friedrich Loeffler Institute is carrying out tests on the animals to determine which H5N1 strain they carried.
Last year, some 13 European Union member states had confirmed cases of bird flu -- Germany, Austria, Denmark, Italy, Greece, Britain, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, France and Hungary. Czech veterinarians started culling several thousand turkeys on a farm last week after tests confirmed the country's first outbreak of a deadly form of bird flu in poultry.
Bird flu has been spreading across southeast Asia, killing two people in Vietnam this month, the first deaths there since 2005. Globally, the H5N1 virus has killed nearly 200 people out of over 300 known cases, according to the World Health Organisation. None of the victims were from Europe. Hundreds of millions of birds have died or been slaughtered.

http://www.eitb24.com/new/en/B24_548...es-in-Germany/

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/06...y_Failure.html

Commentary

Qinghai H5N1 Surveillance Failure in Western Europe
Recombinomics Commentary
June 24, 2007

Three wild birds in Germany have died of the feared H5N1 strain of bird flu, a health official in Nuremberg in southern Germany said on Sunday.

Katja Guenther told AFP tests carried out by the Friedrich Loeffler Institute confirmed that two swans and a duck suffered from the H5N1 strain of the virus.

She said tests were being conducted on another seven birds who died of bird flue to see whether they too had been carriers of H5N1, which is potentially lethal for humans.

The dead wild birds who were infected with the virus were found near Nuremberg in the past week.

The above comments confirm positive H5N1 tests on three dead wild birds in Nuremberg, and strongly suggest that the seven additional fatal bird flu infections will also be confirmed as H5N1. These data raise serious concerns about the H5N1 surveillance in Western Europe.

To date, no EU member country has reported H5N1 in live wild birds, although H5N1 has been reported in dead wild birds in most EU countries. The largest number of reported cases has been in Germany and most reported cases were in the northern Germany outbreak in February, 2006. However, sequence analysis of the wild bird isolates defines three sub-clades (2.2.2.1, 2.2.2.2, and 2.2.2.3). The 2.2.2.2 sub-clade has also been reported in Italy, Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Ukraine. All prior reports have been in wild birds in early 2006. However, the recent outbreak on a turkey farm in the Czech Republic may also be 2.2.2.2 based on detection patterns in 2006. However, Germany has a heavy concentration of H5N1, and detection failures limited analysis of the H5N1 evolution in western Europe in the past year.

The detection failures are cause for concern. This week Ian Brown from Weybridge gave a talk at the Options for the Control of Influenza VI conference on H5N1 in Europe. He noted that there were only two confirmed outbreaks in Western Europe (Hungary and the UK), and the two outbreaks may have been related, based on the close genetic similarity between H5N1 isolates from both countries. He acknowledged that the detection of H5N1 in 2006 in wild birds was limited to dead birds and also noted that most positives were in mute swans in Germany. Austria was second in the number of positives reported in Western Europe.

Ilaria Capua went a step further. She noted the thousands of negatives in test of wild birds in Europe and Africa, and used the negative data to claim that H5N1 in wild birds in Europe was largely limited to 2006 outbreaks.

Similarly, yesterday’s ProMed report on H5N1 on the turkey farm in the Czech Republic cited “sporadic” H5N1 outbreaks: "Worldwide, the H5N1 virus continued to be reported sporadically across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa during 2007." The FAO indicated that H5N1 in western Europe was significantly lower this season, although at the beginning of the season the group cited concerns over report failures.

Finding H5N1 in at least three wild bird species in Germany in the summer, signal major detection failures. All H5N1 detected in wild birds and poultry west of China has been Clade 2.2 (Qinghai strain), which was first reported at Qinghai Lake in May, 2005. Initially, some thought that the H5N1 in long range migratory birds at Qinghai Lake might burn itself out. However, outbreaks in the summer of 2005 in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia were also caused by the Qinghai strain, which left little doubt about the transport and spread by migratory birds, such as the healthy crested grebe that was positive for the H5N1 Qinghai strain.

The outbreaks in these three countries, which reported HPAI H5N1 for the first time in the summer of 2005, signal migration of H5N1 into Europe and the Middle East in the fall. Qinghai H5N1 was subsequently detected in the fall of 2005 in the Volga Delta, the Danube Delta, and western Turkey. However, in spited of the confirmed move of H5N1 into the region, no country in the EU reported H5N1 in 2005. H5N1 was also isolated from a healthy teal in the Nile Delta in December, 2005. The sequence of the healthy teal in Egypt was closely related to H5N1 subsequently isolated in Austria in early 2006.

The detection of H5N1 in early 2006 was widespread in the EU. However, all wild bird isolates were in dead or dying birds. To date there have been no reports of H5N1 in live wild birds in the EU.

However, the current outbreak in southern Germany signals endemic H5N1 in wild birds in the center of the EU. This H5N1 in wild birds in Western Europe has largely gone undetected since the spring of 2006.

The time to upgrade the abysmal H5N1 surveillance worldwide, including Western Europe, has long since passed. H5N1 continues to evolve and spread under the radar, and such poor surveillance continues to be hazardous to the world’s health.


.

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/06..._Czech_WB.html

Commentary

Qinghai H5N1 in Wild Birds in the Czech Republic?
Recombinomics Commentary
June 24, 2007

According to the latest news, another four wild birds, which were suspicious of bird flu, were found near Litomysl in east of the Czech republic.

The above comments strongly suggest that wild birds in the Czech Republic are also H5N1 positive. Litomysl is just east of Tisova, the location of the turkey farm infected with H5N1. After 1800 turkeys died, the remaining 4200 turkeys were culled. Infections of wild birds in the Czech Republic would not be a surprise.

This weekend H5N1 infections in six wild birds were confirmed in Bavaria. Another five dead birds are being tested. The positives include a duck and several swans. Detection of H5N1 in wild bird populations in June highlights the surveillance shortfalls in Western Europe. In Germany, the last report of H5N1 was in birds in the Dresden zoo, a year ago. In addition to the zoo, dead or dying wild birds throughout Germany tested positive for H5N1 in February, 2006. The sequences from these birds fell into three sub-clades. Clade 2.2.2.2 included isolates from Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, Slovenia, and the Ukraine. A larger group of isolates from Bavaria fell into sub-clade 2.2.2.3.

It is likely that the isolates in the Czech Republic and Bavaria this year will include isolates in clade 2.2.2.2 and/or 2.2.2.3 because H5N1 has become endemic in wild bird populations in Western Europe, including Bavaria and the Czech Republic.


.

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

Deadly bird flu kills six wild birds, Germany says

HAMBURG, June 25 (Reuters) - Six dead wild birds have tested positive in Germany for a lethal strain of bird flu, authorities said on Monday.

On Sunday, three wild birds found dead in Nuremberg in the southern state of Bavaria tested positive for the dangerous H5N1 strain of the disease.

The number cases has since risen to six, with five swans and one goose infected, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, a veterinary institution, said.

Authorities continued to investigate the outbreak, the first in Germany this year, which was discovered as part of a national testing programme for dead birds.

Poultry farmers in the Nuremberg region have been ordered to confine all poultry to closed stalls. As of Saturday, a 21-day ban was imposed on bringing poultry or poultry products in or out of the area, which is now a quarantine zone.

City officials also warned cat and dog owners not to allow their pets to roam freely in the quarantine zone.

Last year, some 13 European Union member states had confirmed cases of bird flu -- Germany, Austria, Denmark, Italy, Greece, Britain, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, France and Hungary.

Bird flu has been spreading across southeast Asia, killing two people in Vietnam this month, the first deaths there since 2005.

Globally, the H5N1 virus has killed nearly 200 people out of over 300 known cases, according to the World Health Organisation. None of the victims were from Europe.

http://wap.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L25473521.htm

[HenryN]

Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

Fresh Outbreak of H5N1 Bird Flu in Germany

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After a brief lull, H5N1 strain of bird flu is back in Germany. [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]Health [COLOR=blue! important]officials[/color][/color][/color] from the southern German city of Nuremberg confirmed late Sunday that eight dead birds discovered near two lakes in southern Germany were infected with the highly pathogenic [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]bird [COLOR=blue! important]flu [/color][COLOR=blue! important]virus[/color][/color][/color] H5N1.
The bird flu virus had been discovered in the bodies of eight dead birds, the veterinary experts confirmed after examining the corpses of dead water-birds at the country’s top [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]veterinary[/color][/color] laboratory, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, on the island of Riems, marking the first cases of [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]bird [COLOR=blue! important]flu[/color][/color][/color] in Germany this year.
Among the dead birds found in two lakes in the Bavarian city of Nuremberg were swans, a [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]duck[/color][/color] and a goose, the city of Nuremberg said in a statement.
“Over the next few days the city of Nuremberg will be supported by a federal epidemiological team which will scientifically investigate the causes and background of the infection cases,” the statement said.
After receiving the confirmation from the veterinary experts, the find was immediately notified to the European Commission.
According to the European Union executive, German authorities had informed [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]Brussels[/color][/color] that laboratory tests carried out on dead water-birds at the regional laboratory in Bavaria had confirmed the lethal strain in the wild animals.
About 13 European Union member states, including Germany, Austria, Denmark, Italy, Greece, Britain, the [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]Czech [COLOR=blue! important]Republic[/color][/color][/color], Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, France and Hungary, last year, had confirmed cases of H5N1 bird flu virus.
“Highly pathogenic [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]avian [COLOR=blue! important]influenza[/color][/color][/color] H5N1 was detected in more than 700 wild birds in the EU in 2006,” the Commission said in a statement.
On Saturday, Nuremberg city authorities posted caution signs around two Bavarian lakes where the wild swans, geese and ducks were found over the past few days. They also set up a four-kilometres exclusion zone around two lakes after the dead birds tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu virus.
Health authorities urged the poultry farmers in the exclusion zone to keep their animals indoors. City officials warned pet owners not to let their dogs or cats roam free in the affected area, called quarantine zone.
Nuremberg is located 120 kilometres from the border with the Czech Republic, where an outbreak of bird flu was reported earlier this month. Czech veterinarians started culling several thousand [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]turkeys[/color][/color] at the farm in the village of Tisova in the country's east last week after tests confirmed the country’s first outbreak of a deadly form of bird flu in poultry.
Germany has come under the dark wings of bird flu once again after 2005, when it broke out on the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen and spread to six of the country's 16 states. The strain of extremely infectious H5N1 virus spread to mammals, killing a cat and a stone marten, however, it did not affect humans.
Bird flu in south-east Asia is spreading like wild fire, killing two people in Vietnam this month, bringing the death toll to 43 in the country, since 2003.
So far, Bird flu virus has killed 191 people out of the 313 cases reported, according to the World Health Organization. As of May 31st, 2007, the highest number of cases has been reported in Indonesia, where out of the 98 infected, 78 lost their lives.
Most human infections have occurred after contact with birds infected with H5N1 virus, which according to the Geneva-based WHO is generally not harmful to humans. The H5N1 virus though remains primarily a virus of birds, but experts fright that once it starts transmitting from person to person, it would sweep the world, leaving millions more to die and triggering a devastating human pandemic.
H5N1, also known as A(H5N1), is a subtype of the Influenza A virus that is capable of causing illness in many animal species, including humans, while a bird-adapted strain of H5N1, called HPAI A(H5N1) for "highly pathogenic avian influenza virus of type A of subtype H5N1", is the causative agent of H5N1 flu, commonly known as "avian influenza" or simply "bird flu", and is endemic in many bird populations, especially in Southeast Asia.
Ever since bird flu broke out and started spreading its notorious wings all over the globe, various measures have been taken by all the countries to protect their population.
100&#37; deaths have been reported in Cambodia, Laos and Nigeria. The condition has improved in all the countries ever since the first case was reported in PR China. In 2003, 100% deaths were reported, but the percentage has gradually lowered down to 70%, 43%, 69% and 63% in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 respectively, bringing down the total aggregate to 61%.
WHO, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) in collaboration with United States are looking into minimizing the risk of spreading of this disease and taking steps to avoid this to turn into a pandemic on a global level.

http://www.themoneytimes.com/articles/20070625/fresh_outbreak_of_h5n1_bird_flu_in_germany-id-105299.html

[HenryN]

Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

translation:

Friedrich Loeffler Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut on the island Riems examines the connection between the cases of bird flu of Boehmen and Nuernberg. "we are about straight to compare the genetic finger mark of the H5N1-Virus from Nuernberg with the H5N1-Virus from Boehmen", said institute president Thomas Mettenleiter on Monday of the press agency of strip packing. The H5N1-Viren found in Nuernberg and Boehmen belongs both to the hochpathogenen variant of the type Asia. "that is, the virus is strong for poultry ill-making and highly aggressively", said Mettenleiter. Within the variant give it "fine subtle differences", therefore a comparison can bring explanation. If the genetic finger marks of the virus from Nuernberg and Boehmen are identical, it does not have to mean however that the birds come from Boehmen. "however it means that there is, said a common source" Mettenleiter. Loeffler Loeffler-Institut had tightened also the bird flu virus H5N1 dangerous for humans on Sunday with six in Nuernberg game birds, five peak swans and a Canada goose, ended. Institut is the only one according to Mettenleiter in Germany, which can confirm the aggressive variant of the H5N1-Virus of the type Asia officially. By the nine suspicion samples from Nuernberg three were not infected with the hochpathogenen H5N1-Virus. Further samples were not announced from Nuernberg.

[HenryN]

Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

SPIEGEL ONLINE - June 25, 2007, 11:45 AM
URL: http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,490500,00.html
IT'S BACK

Germany Reports New Bird Flu Infections

In the first cases to emerge in a year, officials in the Bavarian city of Nuremberg have reported deadly outbreaks of the H5N1 strain of bird flu.

DDP

A firefighter in Nuremberg corrals swans on W?hrder Lake to prevent the spread of the deadly H5N1 virus.


Officials in the southern German city of Nuremberg have reported new outbreaks of avian flu. On Sunday, the city reported having found eight dead swans in addition to a duck and a goose which had fallen victim to the disease. All of the dead waterfowl were confirmed to have been infected with the deadly H5N1 virus in the first cases of the disease to be reported in Germany this year.
A quarantine zone has been established in the city, and poultry farmers have been ordered to place all poultry birds in closed stalls to prevent the disease's spread.
"Over the next few days, the city of Nuremberg will be aided by a federal epidemiological team which will scientifically investigate the causes and background of the infection cases," the city said in a statement, according to Reuters.

<!-- Vignette StoryServer 5.0 Fri Dec 08 15:03:16 2006 -->BIRD FLU


The Virus
Bird flu, also known as avian influenza, is a highly contagious virus that mostly infects poultry like chickens and turkeys, but it can also be carried by migratory birds, pheasant and guinea fowl. Eighty to 90 percent of the animals that contract the virus die within a few days. In rare cases, humans can also be infected. In Asia, 140 cases have been reported and there have been 74 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. Most of the cases so far have been reported among poultry workers.
Transmission
Bird flu is transmitted from animal to animal through direct contact with feces or saliva and other bodily fluids or through contact with contaminated material, like transport cases or egg cartons. When heavy dust is blown in areas with outbreaks, the contagion can also be transmitted by air.
Symptoms
In most cases, the incubation period between contraction of bird flu and the first symptoms is three to 14 days. Then the general symptoms include high fever, respiratory problems, purple discoloration, loss of appetite, fatigue and diarrhea. But the illness can also lead to sudden death in animals.
Danger for Humans Researchers fear that H5N1 could mutate into a virus that is transmissable between humans. The latest research confirms this fear: Flu subtype H1N1, which was known as the Spanish Flu and killed up to 50 million people between 1918 and 1920, originated as a bird flu that adapted itself to humans. Another concern is that humans could get a double infection of a human flu with a bird flu that could mutate, or that pigs -- which are susceptible to human, bird and swine influenza -- could develop a mutation that leads to an unstoppable super flu that would unleash a global pandemic.

[gsgs]

Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

Nuernberg seem to have announced further samples.
15 in total now. There is also an institute in Oberschleissheim near Munich which can test, but apparantly FLI has to confirm.
I guess they send samples to Oberschleissheim first, but don't
publish their findings directly.

press conference on 17.00 (in 4 hours)

the 5 swans are non-migratory, but the Canada-goose is probably migratory.
It was found on the Silber-lake, which is contaminated with debris and WW2-weapons
and usually no waterfowls are there.

[HenryN]

Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

Nuernberg seem to have announced further samples.
15 in total now. There is also an institute in Oberschleissheim near Munich which can test, but apparantly FLI has to confirm.
I guess they send samples to Oberschleissheim first, but don't
publish their findings directly.

press conference on 17.00 (in 4 hours)

So is the official count 6 positives (including 1 Canada goose), 3 negatives, and 6 being tested?

I assume all 15 are from dead wild waterfowl?

[HenryN]

Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

LOCUS AM403474 1707 bp RNA linear VRL 31-MAR-2007
DEFINITION Influenza A virus (A/Canada goose/Germany/R1207/06(H5N1)) HA gene
for hemagglutinin, genomic RNA.
ACCESSION AM403474
VERSION AM403474.1 GI:136054858
KEYWORDS HA gene; hemagglutinin.
SOURCE Influenza A virus (A/Canada goose/Germany/R1207/06(H5N1))
ORGANISM Influenza A virus (A/Canada goose/Germany/R1207/06(H5N1))
Viruses; ssRNA negative-strand viruses; Orthomyxoviridae;
Influenzavirus A.
REFERENCE 1
AUTHORS Starick,E., Werner,O., Harder,T., Globig,A., Hoffmann,B. and
Beer,M.
TITLE Sequence analysis of HA and NA genes of H5N1 HPAIV isolates from
Germany clearly identifies two clusters
JOURNAL Unpublished
REFERENCE 2 (bases 1 to 1707)
AUTHORS Starick,E.
TITLE Direct Submission
JOURNAL Submitted (25-SEP-2006) Starick E., Fed. Res. Inst. for Animal
Health, Fr.-Loeffler-Institut, Boddenblick 5a, 17493
Greifswald-Insel Riems, GERMANY
FEATURES Location/Qualifiers
source 1..1707
/organism="Influenza A virus (A/Canada
goose/Germany/R1207/06(H5N1))"
/virion
/mol_type="genomic RNA"
/strain="A/Canada goose/Germany/R1207/06"
/serotype="H5N1"
/db_xref="taxon:404925"
/country="Germany"
gene 1..1707
/gene="HA"
CDS 1..1707
/gene="HA"
/codon_start=1
/product="hemagglutinin"
/protein_id="CAL48265.1"
/db_xref="GI:136054859"
/translation="MEKIVLLFAIVSLVKSDQICIGYHANNSTEQVDTIME KNVTVTH
AQDILEKTHNGKLCDLDGVKPLILRDCSVAGWLLGNPMCDEFLNVPEWSY IVEKINPA
NDLCYPGNFNDYEELKHLLSRINHFEKIQIIPKNSWSDHEASSGVSSACP YQGRSSFF
RNVVWLIKKDNAYPTIKRSYNNTNQEDLLVLWGIHHPNDAAEQTRLYQNP TTYISVGT
STLNQRLVPKIATRSKVNGQSGRMEFFWTILKPNDAINFESNGNFIAPEN AYKIVKKG
DSTIMKSELEYGNCNTKCQTPIGAINSSMPFHNIHPLTIGECPKYVKSNR LVLATGLR
NSPQGERRRKKRGLFGAIAGFIEGGWQGMVDGWYGYHHSNEQGSGYAADKESTQKAID
GVTNKVNSIINKMNTQFEAVGREFNNLERRIENLNKKMEDGFLDVWTYNA ELLVLMEN
ERTLDLHDSNVKNLYDKVRLQLRDNAKELGNGCFEFYHRCDNECMESVRN GTYDYPQY
SEEARLKREEISGVKLESIGTYQILSIYSTVASSLALAIMVAGLSLWMCS NGSLQCRI
CI"
ORIGIN
1 atggagaaaa tagtgcttct ttttgcaata gtcagtcttg ttaaaagtga tcagatttgc
61 attggttacc atgcaaacaa ctcgacagag caggttgaca caataatgga aaagaacgtc
121 actgttacac acgcccaaga catactggaa aagacacaca acgggaagct ctgcgatcta
181 gatggagtga agcctctaat tttaagagat tgtagtgtag ctggatggct cctcgggaac
241 ccaatgtgtg acgaattcct caatgtgccg gaatggtctt acatagtgga gaagatcaat
301 ccagccaatg acctctgtta cccagggaat ttcaacgact atgaagaact gaaacaccta
361 ttgagcagaa taaaccattt tgagaaaatt cagatcatcc ccaaaaattc ttggtcagat
421 catgaagcct catcaggggt gagctcagca tgtccatacc agggaaggtc ctcctttttt
481 agaaatgtgg tatggcttat caaaaaggac aatgcatacc caacaataaa gagaagttac
541 aataatacca accaagaaga tcttttggta ctgtggggga ttcaccatcc aaatgatgcg
601 gcagagcaga caaggctcta tcaaaaccca accacctata tttccgttgg gacatcaaca
661 ctaaaccaga gattggtacc aaaaatagct actagatcca aggtaaacgg gcaaagtgga
721 aggatggagt tcttttggac aattttaaaa ccgaatgatg caataaactt tgagagtaat
781 ggaaatttca ttgctccaga aaatgcatac aaaattgtca agaaagggga ctcaacaatt
841 atgaaaagtg aattggaata tggtaactgc aacaccaagt gtcaaactcc aataggggcg
901 ataaactcta gtatgccatt ccacaacatc caccctctca ccatcgggga atgccccaaa
961 tatgtgaaat caaacagatt agtccttgcg actgggctca gaaatagccc tcaaggagag
1021 agaagaagaa aaaagagagg actatttgga gctatagcag gttttataga gggaggatgg
1081 cagggaatgg tagatggttg gtatgggtac caccatagca acgagcaggg gagtgggtac
1141 gctgcagaca aagaatccac tcaaaaggca atagatggag tcaccaataa ggtcaactcg
1201 atcattaaca aaatgaacac tcagtttgag gccgttggaa gggaatttaa taacttagaa
1261 aggagaatag aaaatttaaa caagaagatg gaagacggat tcctagatgt ctggacttat
1321 aatgctgaac ttctggttct catggaaaat gagagaactc tagaccttca tgactcaaat
1381 gtcaagaacc tttacgacaa ggtccgacta cagcttaggg ataatgcaaa ggagcttggt
1441 aacggttgtt tcgagttcta tcacagatgt gataatgaat gcatggaaag tgtaagaaac
1501 ggaacgtatg actacccgca gtattcagaa gaagcaagat taaaaagaga ggaaataagt
1561 ggagtaaaat tggaatcaat aggaacctac caaatactgt caatttattc aacagtggcg
1621 agctccctag cactggcaat catggtggct ggtctatctt tatggatgtg ctccaatgga
1681 tcgttacaat gcagaatttg catttaa

[HenryN]

Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

LOCUS EF165057 1707 bp cRNA linear VRL 16-DEC-2006
DEFINITION Influenza A virus (A/buzzard/Bavaria/13/2006(H5N1)) hemagglutinin
(HA) gene, complete cds.
ACCESSION EF165057
VERSION EF165057.1 GI:119352131
KEYWORDS .
SOURCE Influenza A virus (A/buzzard/Bavaria/13/2006(H5N1))
ORGANISM Influenza A virus (A/buzzard/Bavaria/13/2006(H5N1))
Viruses; ssRNA negative-strand viruses; Orthomyxoviridae;
Influenzavirus A.
REFERENCE 1 (bases 1 to 1707)
AUTHORS Rinder,M., Lang,V., Fuchs,C., Hafner-Marx,A., Bogner,K.-H.,
Neubauer,A., Buettner,M. and Rinder,H.
TITLE Genetic evidence for multi-event imports of avian influenza virus A
(H5N1) into Bavaria, Germany
JOURNAL J. Vet. Diagn. Invest. (2007) In press
REFERENCE 2 (bases 1 to 1707)
AUTHORS Rinder,M., Lang,V., Buettner,M. and Rinder,H.
TITLE Direct Submission
JOURNAL Submitted (06-DEC-2006) S10 Veterinaervirologie, Bayerisches
Landesamt fuer Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit,
Veterinaerstr. 2, Oberschleissheim 85764, Germany
FEATURES Location/Qualifiers
source 1..1707
/organism="Influenza A virus
(A/buzzard/Bavaria/13/2006(H5N1))"
/mol_type="viral cRNA"
/strain="A/buzzard/Bavaria/13/2006"
/serotype="H5N1"
/db_xref="taxon:415684"
/country="Germany"
gene 1..1707
/gene="HA"
CDS 1..1707
/gene="HA"
/codon_start=1
/product="hemagglutinin"
/protein_id="ABL63763.1"
/db_xref="GI:119352132"
/translation="MEKIMLLLAIVSLVKSDQICIGYHANNSTEQVDTIME KNVTVTH
AQDILEKTHNGKLCDLDGVKPLILRDCSVAGWLLGNPMCDEFLNVPEWSY IVEKINPA
NDLCYPGNFNDYEELKHLLSRINHFEKIQIIPKSSWSDHEASSGVSSACP YQGRSSFF
RNVVWLIKKDNAYPTIKRSYNNTNQEDLLVLWGIHHPNDAAEQTRLYQNP TTYISVGT
STLNQRLVPKIATRSKVNGQSGRMEFFWTILKPNDAINFESNGNFIAPEN AYKIVKKG
DSTIMKSELEYGNCNTKCQTPIGAINSSMPFHNIHPLTIGECPKYVKSNR LVLATGLR
NSPQGERRRKKRGLFGAIAGFIEGGWQGMVDGWYGYHHSNEQGSGYAADKESTQKAID
GVTNKVNSIIDKMNTQFEAVGREFNNLERRIENLNKKMEDGFLDVWTYNA ELLVLMEN
ERTLDFHDSNVKNLYDKVRLQLRDNAKELGNGCFEFYHRCDNECMESVRN GTYDYPQY
SEEARLKREEISGVKLESIGTYQILSIYSTVASSLALAIMVAGLSLWMCS NGSLQCRI
CI"
ORIGIN
1 atggagaaaa taatgcttct tcttgcaata gtcagtcttg ttaaaagtga tcagatttgc
61 attggttacc atgcaaacaa ctcgacagag caggttgaca caataatgga aaagaacgtc
121 actgttacac acgcccaaga catactggaa aagacacaca acgggaaact ctgcgatcta
181 gatggagtga agcctctaat tttaagagat tgtagtgtag ctggatggct cctcgggaac
241 ccaatgtgtg acgaattcct caatgtaccg gaatggtctt acatagtgga gaagatcaat
301 ccagccaatg acctctgtta cccagggaat ttcaacgact atgaagaact gaaacaccta
361 ttgagcagaa taaaccattt tgagaaaatt cagatcatcc ccaaaagttc ttggtcagat
421 catgaagcct catcaggggt gagctcagca tgtccatacc agggaaggtc ctcctttttt
481 agaaatgtgg tatggcttat caaaaaggac aatgcatacc caacaataaa gagaagttac
541 aataatacca accaagaaga tcttttggta ctgtggggga ttcaccatcc aaatgatgcg
601 gcagagcaga caaggctcta tcaaaaccca accacctata tttccgttgg gacatcaaca
661 ttaaaccaga gattggtacc aaaaatagct actagatcca aggtaaacgg gcaaagtgga
721 aggatggagt tcttttggac aattttaaaa ccgaatgatg caataaactt tgagagtaat
781 ggaaatttca ttgctccaga aaatgcatac aaaattgtca agaaagggga ctcaacaatt
841 atgaaaagtg aattggaata tggtaactgc aacaccaagt gtcaaactcc aataggggcg
901 ataaactcta gtatgccatt ccacaacatc caccctctca ccatcgggga atgccccaaa
961 tatgtgaaat caaacagatt agttcttgcg actgggctca gaaatagccc tcaaggagag
1021 agaagaagaa aaaagagagg actatttgga gctatagcag gttttataga gggaggatgg
1081 cagggaatgg tagatggttg gtatgggtac caccatagca acgagcaggg gagtgggtac
1141 gctgcagata aagaatccac tcaaaaggca atagatggag tcaccaataa ggtcaactcg
1201 atcattgaca aaatgaacac tcagtttgag gctgttggaa gggaatttaa taacttagaa
1261 aggagaatag aaaatttaaa caagaagatg gaagacggat tcctagatgt ctggacttat
1321 aatgctgaac ttctggttct catggaaaat gagagaactc tagactttca tgattcaaat
1381 gtcaagaacc tttacgacaa ggtccgacta cagcttaggg ataatgcaaa ggagcttggt
1441 aacggttgtt ttgagttcta tcacagatgt gataatgaat gtatggaaag tgtaagaaac
1501 ggaacgtatg actacccgca gtattcagaa gaagcaagat taaaaagaga ggaaataagt
1561 ggagtaaaat tggaatcaat aggaacttac caaatactgt caatttattc aacagtggcg
1621 agctccctag cactggcaat catggtggct ggtctatctt tatggatgtg ctccaatgga
1681 tcgttacaat gcagaatttg catttaa

[HenryN]

Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

Nuernberg seem to have announced further samples.
15 in total now. There is also an institute in Oberschleissheim near Munich which can test, but apparantly FLI has to confirm.
I guess they send samples to Oberschleissheim first, but don't
publish their findings directly.

press conference on 17.00 (in 4 hours)

the 5 swans are non-migratory, but the Canada-goose is probably migratory.
It was found on the Silber-lake, which is contaminated with debris and WW2-weapons
and usually no waterfowls are there.

Both labs have done sequencing on H5N1 samples collected last year. The group just north of Munich published sequences with "Bavaria" as the location. FLI used Germany. The sequences from both groups fell into three groups, but there were more samples from FLI from the north. The outbreak in the north was the largest in western Europe and generated many positives (mostly in mute swans but also included a cat and a stone martin).

The sequences most like the public Czech Republic sequence were in the south and also were close to isolates from Italy, Slovenia, and Ukraine. Because of detection in the Czech Republic and Bavaria at the same time, the two sets of sequences may be similar, but as noted above, the similarity would indicate a common source, not infection of domestic turkeys by wild birds from Bavaria. This year the H5N1 is likely to be more complex and diverse than last year (this isn't Kansas).

[gsgs]

Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

maybe both are similar to the Hungarian sequences...

they wrote, that they developed a method to test multiple HA-sequences easily
and simultaneously at Oberschleissheim,
but apparantly they can't do full genomes easily.
So, that could be the reason that the samples were sent to Riems.
Hopefully we will see full genomes.

[HenryN]

Re: Deadly bird flu strain found in Germany

maybe both are similar to the Hungarian sequences...

There are many German markers that are not in the isolates from Hungary.

I expect the German and Czech isolates to have significant similarities to last year's isoaltes from Germany.

H5N1 is endemic to the region. Mute swans don't migrate, and even migratory birds don't migrate in the heart of western Europe in the summer.