Discussion: Low-risk bird flu found in Ill. wild ducks-USDA

[Harriet]

Re: Discussion: Low-risk bird flu found in Ill. wild ducks-USDA

No coincidence they are testing these birds. The exact ones they predicted would be responsible for spreading the disease are doing it.


The migration or feeding behavior of dabbling ducks could at least partially explain the spread of the H5N1 strain of bird flu, the researchers add.

This group of duck species includes mallards, teal, pintails, and others that feed at or near the surface, where viruses in water are most likely to be picked up.

[Harriet]

Re: Discussion: Low-risk bird flu found in Ill. wild ducks-USDA

Although the article does not state it, this was the H5 also. It is in the wild birds and the poultry.


Mild form of avian flu found in New Jersey
Mon May 1, 2006 11:46am ET


NEW YORK (Reuters) - Authorities have discovered a mild form of avian influenza at a live bird market in New Jersey, but it is not the deadly H5N1 strain governments around the world are trying to contain, the state's agriculture department said.

"The strain was found in a live bird market in Camden County. None of the birds in the market died from this virus, which is an indicator that the virus was low pathogenic and not harmful to humans," said a statement by New Jersey's Agriculture Secretary Charles Kuperus which was posted on Friday.

Details were not immediately available on precisely when the avian flu in Camden County was discovered.

The H5N1 strain of avian influenza not only kills chickens quickly, but can now infect people, and governments around the world are scrambling to contain its spread. Scientists fear that if the virus acquires the ability to pass easily from person to person, it could cause a pandemic that would kill millions.



The H5N1 avian flu strain has already infected 205 people and killed 113 since 2003. Its spread has forced several countries to ban poultry imports from nations where the disease has spread.

The H5N1 virus has spread from Asia to Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Kuperus said preliminary tests from the National Veterinary Services laboratory were negative for type N1 of the virus. More tests are pending at laboratories of the U.S. Agriculture Department in Ames, Iowa, to confirm the strain of the virus, he added.

"The market owner voluntarily depopulated his existing flock, and the market has undergone cleaning and disinfecting under New Jersey Department of Agriculture supervision," said Kuperus.

The market in Camden County will be inspected again by New Jersey's Division of Animal Health before being allowed to reopen.

[Sally Furniss]

Re: Discussion: Low-risk bird flu found in Ill. wild ducks-USDA

PonyGirl do you have some thing that does say it is H5?

[Harriet]

Re: Discussion: Low-risk bird flu found in Ill. wild ducks-USDA

Excerpt:

State's flu response raises concern

Official alerts play down possible H5 strain found in New Jersey.

http://www.nature.com/news/2006/060508/full/441139a.html

Jacqueline Ruttimann

The country has weathered three major outbreaks of highly pathogenic bird flu before (see 'Past US outbreaks'). 'Low-pathogenic' bird flu, which kills few infected birds, occurs far more regularly. In the latest case, New Jersey's agriculture department made a public announcement about the discovery of an avian-flu strain ? but it left out salient details.

The announcement on 28 April did not mention when or specifically where the infection was detected, saying only that preliminary tests had marked it as negative for the neuraminidase protein N1. The statement did not mention the haemagglutinin protein; Nature learned later that the state had a faint positive for H5, which can occur in both high- and low-pathogenic strains. The first samples were tested on 21 April.


Later confirmatory tests by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) laboratory in Ames, Iowa, failed because technicians there could not grow the virus. In the meantime, other birds in the market had been killed and disposed of. The market was later reopened.

If a low-pathogenic strain of bird flu is discovered, then individual states, not the federal government, are responsible for alerting the public ? and officials say this all went as planned. "The timeline was exactly as it should be," claims Andrea Morgan, veterinary administrator for the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. "The response that New Jersey launched was appropriate."

But it was misleading, critics argue. Jody Lanard, a risk-communication specialist based in Princeton, New Jersey, has worked as a senior adviser in pandemic influenza communication to the World Health Organization. She notes that the state's two press releases omitted the fact that the strain was H5, focusing instead on the fact that it was not N1.

"They are afraid the public will hear H5 and go nuts ? a case of official panic about panic," she says. "If they really think the public is that fragile, they might be tempted to hold back lots of preliminary information, and delay issuing material when it really matters."

Karen Eggert, a spokeswoman for the USDA, says the department is still working out how and when it would alert the public to outbreaks of highly pathogenic strains such as H5N1. In the interests of openness, officials are considering announcing it immediately after the first confirmatory molecular tests.

* Jody Lanard is an advisor to the World Health Organization, but not to the director-general.


Article brought to you by: Nature

[Mamabird]

Re: Discussion: Low-risk bird flu found in Ill. wild ducks-USDA

I would take the position that the 1918 H1N1 Spanish Flu virus was highly pathogenic. After all, it killed some 50 million humans world wide, 200,000 Americans in the month of October alone.

Please be aware that the HA segment of the 1918 H1N1 virus did not contain mutliple basic amino acids at the cleavage site, at least all the sequences that we have would indicate that, and none of the later isolates had anything unusual at the cleavage site.

My suggestion is that we may wish to expand our definition of High Path a bit.

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Discussion: Low-risk bird flu found in Ill. wild ducks-USDA

.......Please be aware that the HA segment of the 1918 H1N1 virus did not contain mutliple basic amino acids at the cleavage site, at least all the sequences that we have would indicate that, and none of the later isolates had anything unusual at the cleavage site.....

1918 H1N1 accomplished the same objective (high volume cleavage) another way - a mutation (on the NA I believe) that caused it to bind with the plaminogen (enzyme in all blood), so anywhere the blood flowed the virus could cleave! Same result, different mechanism......very high path.

see http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/art...gi?artid=33880

In a series of experiments confirming and synthesizing 25 years of experimental data (2?4), Goto and Kawaoka (1) demonstrate specifically how the neuraminidase (NA) protein of influenza A/WSN/33 (H1N1), a curious variant of the first human influenza virus ever isolated, mediates hemagglutinin (HA) cleavage. Goto and Kawaoka (1) provide evidence for a model whereby the NA of WSN/33 directly binds plasminogen, sequestering it for cleavage activation. Subsequently, active plasmin cleaves and activates influenza hemagglutinin. Being able to sequester plasminogen for hemagglutinin cleavage allows the influenza virus to infect cells other than its usual targets.

.

[Niko]

Re: Discussion: Low-risk bird flu found in Ill. wild ducks-USDA

see http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/art...gi?artid=33880
Being able to sequester plasminogen for hemagglutinin cleavage allows the influenza virus to infect cells other than its usual targets.

.

Yep. Sounds like our baby...

Thanks AD.

[Niko]

Re: Discussion: Low-risk bird flu found in Ill. wild ducks-USDA

I don't recall hearing if any of the sequences from the USA 2006 have been released. Any one know the status?

[HenryN]

Re: Discussion: Low-risk bird flu found in Ill. wild ducks-USDA

I don't recall hearing if any of the sequences from the USA 2006 have been released. Any one know the status?

The US (and Canada) have not even released the H5 serotypes. There appear to be many H5 serotypes being detected in addition to H5N1. In Quebec, one French report indocated H5N2 and H5N6 was detected this year. Last year H5N1, H5N2, H5N3, and H5N9 were detected, but even the final break-down of serotypes for 2005 has not been released (and sequences from only one H5N2 from British Columbia in 2005 have been released so far)

[Harriet]

Re: Discussion: Low-risk bird flu found in Ill. wild ducks-USDA

Just posted low path found in Lakeport CA.

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?p=35489#post35489

Inquired and awaiting response as to the type of duck found dead.

[Harriet]

Re: Discussion: Low-risk bird flu found in Ill. wild ducks-USDA

GLIDE Number BH-20060930-7788-USA
Event type Biological Hazard Date / time [UTC] 30/09/2006 - 03:59:38 (Military Time, UTC)
Country USA Area Fulton County / Rice Lake Conservation
County / State Illinois City -
Cause of event Unknow Log date 30/09/2006 - 03:59:38 (Military Time, UTC)
Damage level Moderate Time left -
Latitude: N 40? 27.700 Longitude: W 89? 55.400
Number of deaths: Not or Not data Number of injured persons: Not or Not data
Evacuated: - Infected -

DESCRIPTION
Wild Green-winged Teal ducks in central Illinois have tested positive for a low-pathogenic strain of avian influenza, the government said on Friday. "Initial tests confirm that these wild duck samples do not contain the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain that has spread through birds in Asia, Europe and Africa," the Agriculture and Interior departments said in a statement. Five of 11 samples taken from the ducks tested positive for the H5 virus subtype and one contained the H5 and N1 subtypes, they said. The samples were sent to a federal laboratory in Ames, Iowa, for further testing of virus strains. The samples were collected on Sunday at the Rice Lake Conservation area in Fulton County, central Illinois. The ducks showed no signs of illness, which also indicates a low-risk strain of avian influenza.

http://visz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_read.php?id=7788&cat=dis&lang=eng

National Association of Radio-Distress Signalling and Infocommunications,
Havaria Emergency and Disaster Information Services
Budapest Hungary