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Swine Flu Is More Severe Than Seasonal Flu, Ferret Studies Find

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  • #31
    Re: Swine Flu Is More Severe Than Seasonal Flu, Ferret Studies Find

    Originally posted by AlaskaDenise View Post
    yes, it is human if there are no animal species mentioned, e.g., (A/Quail/Hong Kong/G1/97 (H9N2)) is NOT human.

    .
    Thanks for pointing that out, AlaskaDenise. I think I've seen something similar, (maybe not quail, but some non-human species was in the strain name), and in the context I saw it in, wasn't quite sure it that would mean "derived from quail", or "unique to quail."

    Mamabird, I passed that caution about air travel along. Maybe it is a good thing that the airlines are serving less "free" food to passengers these days.
    _____________________________________________

    Ask Congress to Investigate COVID Origins and Government Response to Pandemic.

    i love myself. the quietest. simplest. most powerful. revolution ever. ---- nayyirah waheed

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    • #32
      Re: Swine Flu Is More Severe Than Seasonal Flu, Ferret Studies Find

      If this virus really is replicating outside of the lungs, then I wonder how useful inhaled Relenza would be.

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      • #33
        Re: Swine Flu Is More Severe Than Seasonal Flu, Ferret Studies Find

        Originally posted by pinkfrost View Post
        If this virus really is replicating outside of the lungs, then I wonder how useful inhaled Relenza would be.

        Yes, Relenza is great for seasonal flu because seasonal H1N1 and H3N2 largely infects the upper respiratory system. The inhaled Relenza hits the nose and throat with a bang. Not so much the lungs.

        Relenza is expected to be less effective for Swine Flu replicating in the lower respiratory system, H5N1 that can replicate in numerous organs throughout the body, and for use by small children that would have an issue with inhaling meds.

        Tamiflu is processed throgh the liver and into the blood stream, making it effective throughout the body.

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        • #34
          Re: Swine Flu Is More Severe Than Seasonal Flu, Ferret Studies Find

          #33:...

          Thanks for the details Ma.b.

          So Relenza appear to be also a hole in the water.

          Now we are practicaly without realiable antivirals widely.

          Now we remains on half-existant, unproved, and probably later unmatched vaccines.

          Sob ...

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          • #35
            Re: Swine Flu Is More Severe Than Seasonal Flu, Ferret Studies Find

            Is the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus more dangerous than we think? (Virology Blog, edited)





            The results of experiments comparing the virulence in animals of the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus with seasonal strains have spawned the headline Study Suggests H1N1 Virus More Dangerous Than Suspected. In my view, the best experiment is now being done in humans: infection of millions with the pandemic virus. The results show that the virus is no more virulent than last season?s pandemic strain.


            In mice, ferrets, and non-human primates, the 2009 H1N1 swine-origin influenza virus (S-OIV) replicated more efficiently, and caused more severe lesions in the lungs than a seasonal H1N1 virus. These findings lead the lead author of the study to comment:


            ''There is a misunderstanding about this virus. People think this pathogen may be similar to seasonal influenza. This study shows that is not the case. There is clear evidence the virus is different than seasonal influenza.''


            I?m puzzled by this statement. As far as I know, the 2009 H1N1 strain has so far likely infected millions of people, and most have concluded that the disease is no more severe than seasonal influenza. Are mice, ferrets, and non-human primates more reliable indicators of influenza virus virulence than humans?


            I agree that the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus does seem to multiply more extensively in the respiratory tract than a seasonal H1N1 strain, as does the 1918 virus. But how many influenza virus strains have been studied in such animals? There are probably others that can replicate in the lower tract of experimental animals but are not very pathogenic in humans.


            Two other research groups published the results of similar experiments in ferrets. They both found that the 2009 H1N1 virus replicated to higher titers, and more extensively in the lower respiratory tract, than seasonal H1N1 influenza virus. One of the groups concluded:


            ''Our results indicated that the 2009 A(H1N1) influenza virus replicates efficiently in the upper and lower respiratory tract of ferrets, is associated with mild or moderate clinical signs and pathological changes and is transmitted efficiently between ferrets via aerosols or respiratory droplets.



            These results are in agreement with observations in humans, where generally mild disease but relatively efficient human-to human transmission has been observed''



            In other words, although the 2009 H1N1 replicated more efficiently, and in different parts of the lungs than seasonal H1N1 virus, these authors felt the observations were consistent with the low virulence of the virus humans.


            It?s worth noting that when the authors of the Nature paper infected miniature pigs with the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, the virus replicated without clinical symptoms. This result emphasizes the importance of remembering that animals are models for studying virus infections; they rarely duplicate the effects of a virus infection in humans. Furthermore, the virulence of a virus strain may vary dramatically depending on the dose and the route of infection, as well as on the species, age, gender, and susceptibility of the host. Virulence is a relative property. Consequently, when the degree of virulence of two very similar viruses are compared, the assays must be identical.


            Do we really want to conclude that the new H1N1 strains is ?more dangerous? than we think based on tests in animal models which may or may not accurately reflect what occurs in humans? The ongoing infection of millions of humans with the new H1N1 virus seems a better source of data ? and so far the results indicate that the new pandemi strain is no more dangerous than seasonal influenza.


            Of course, it is possible that a more virulent version of the 2009 H1N1 virus could emerge in the coming months ? what will happen as this virus evolves in humans is anyone?s guess ? but who knows if it will retain the ability to multiply in the lower tract? The only thing that is certain is that it will be a different virus from the one that has been studied in mice, ferrets, and small pigs.


            Y. Itoh1 et al. (2009). In vitro and in vivo characterization of new swine-origin H1N1 influenza viruses Nature adv. online pub 13 July 2009.


            Maines, T., Jayaraman, A., Belser, J., Wadford, D., Pappas, C., Zeng, H., Gustin, K., Pearce, M., Viswanathan, K., Shriver, Z., Raman, R., Cox, N., Sasisekharan, R., Katz, J., & Tumpey, T. (2009). Transmission and Pathogenesis of Swine-Origin 2009 A(H1N1) Influenza Viruses in Ferrets and Mice Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1177238


            Munster, V., de Wit, E., van den Brand, J., Herfst, S., Schrauwen, E., Bestebroer, T., van de Vijver, D., Boucher, C., Koopmans, M., Rimmelzwaan, G., Kuiken, T., Osterhaus, A., & Fouchier, R. (2009). Pathogenesis and Transmission of Swine-Origin 2009 A(H1N1) Influenza Virus in Ferrets Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1177127


            View Original Article

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            • #36
              Re: Swine Flu Is More Severe Than Seasonal Flu, Ferret Studies Find

              If the same number of pandemic flu deaths in the northern countries were because of an plague microbe spreading, without any containment barriers, by full freely people roamings, with scant drugs for treatments, and no vaccines, the mediatic coverage will be assured, by infected countries freaky comments (as recently seen).

              But a flu - what is that, is it an deadly illness?

              "Nye", "it is an borring cold" ...

              An "oldies scaremonger", "we work with flu normaly, but the few days of temperature".

              That's why the masses could be so easy anestethized that everything is ok.

              We speak about pandemic flu related random deaths -
              - so why to have such a great believe in a society which didn't inform the intercontinental roaming tourists about the first early epidemic flu surge, until the internet blogs publish the news out? The "health sentinels" knows it weeks before, as posted news later revealed.

              So it is not ok.
              There are many humans relying on seasonal vaccines, to easy the flu dangers. Now they can't.

              If, and when they could, it was another mather.

              Will than the vaccines be safe, or there is an experiment going on?
              Than squeeze the inspectors to product safety proves,
              and squezze the drug estab to produce more.

              But there are no "squeezers" on the horizon,
              and the health professionals guildes are very quiet ...

              At least, they will receive the vacc first:
              if luckyly it wouldn't be a deadly vacc, because than we loose all the doctors, it will be ok;
              and if it will work, than bingo.

              Maybe the first folks will receive the "egg-one", and the subsequent the "cell-one" ...

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