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Ilaria Capua Urges Fellow Researchers To Publish H5n1 Data
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ILARIA CAPUA URGES FELLOW RESEARCHERS TO PUBLISH H5N1 DATA
(AGI) - Rome, Mar. 3 - Ilaria Capua, the director of the Veterinary Institute which serves as Italy's reference centre on bird flu (as well as Italy's reference centre of the World Organization for Animal Health) and one of Europe's best-known experts on the bird flu virus has launched an appeal to fellow researchers and the World Health Organization calling for all the results of bird flu tests performed so far to be made available to the public. The prestigious scientific journal 'Science' reported the initiative in its latest edition. As soon as the information regarding the virus which hit Italy and Nigeria was known, Ilaria Capuanella posted it on a specialised website, GenBank. "WE must do so if we want to understand what is really going on and take all necessary measures in time. It's unacceptable that all those data be kept closed in some laboratory, thus preventing us from taking stock of the current situation". Indeed, researchers fear that the virus which has recently infected wild and farm birds can mutate and become dangerous for men, too. Such mutations can be identified only through a careful analysis of the virus genome, which would be both complex and expensive and require special procedures. Therefore, such analyses can be performed only in special laboratories (the one in Padua being one of them) authorised by the WHO. However, the information collected by these laboratories would be extremely important to the other researchers who have to deal with the infection also in remote areas of Nigeria. In order to promote access to this information and monitor any possible mutation comparing data as soon as they are available, that is 72 hours after the samples arrive in the laboratories, Capua decided to start this initiative. (AGI) -
031813 MAR 06
ILARIA CAPUA URGES FELLOW RESEARCHERS TO PUBLISH H5N1 DATA
(AGI) - Rome, Mar. 3 - Ilaria Capua, the director of the Veterinary Institute which serves as Italy's reference centre on bird flu (as well as Italy's reference centre of the World Organization for Animal Health) and one of Europe's best-known experts on the bird flu virus has launched an appeal to fellow researchers and the World Health Organization calling for all the results of bird flu tests performed so far to be made available to the public. The prestigious scientific journal 'Science' reported the initiative in its latest edition. As soon as the information regarding the virus which hit Italy and Nigeria was known, Ilaria Capuanella posted it on a specialised website, GenBank. "WE must do so if we want to understand what is really going on and take all necessary measures in time. It's unacceptable that all those data be kept closed in some laboratory, thus preventing us from taking stock of the current situation". Indeed, researchers fear that the virus which has recently infected wild and farm birds can mutate and become dangerous for men, too. Such mutations can be identified only through a careful analysis of the virus genome, which would be both complex and expensive and require special procedures. Therefore, such analyses can be performed only in special laboratories (the one in Padua being one of them) authorised by the WHO. However, the information collected by these laboratories would be extremely important to the other researchers who have to deal with the infection also in remote areas of Nigeria. In order to promote access to this information and monitor any possible mutation comparing data as soon as they are available, that is 72 hours after the samples arrive in the laboratories, Capua decided to start this initiative. (AGI) -
031813 MAR 06
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