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  • Frigid Antarctica is loaded with viruses

    We know that influenza can survive freezing conditions, but this article shows how easy it is and how much diversity there is, of pathogens in freezing conditions.
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Researchers found nearly 10,000 species by analyzing water samples

    updated 10:58 a.m. HT, Thurs., Nov . 5, 2009

    Antarctica's icy lakes are home to a surprisingly diverse community of viruses, including some that were previously unidentified.

    At first glance, Antarctica's freshwater lakes don't seem very hospitable to life. They remain frozen for a good nine months out of the year, and they contain very few nutrients. Some of these lakes have little animal life and are dominated by microorganisms, including algae, bacteria, protozoans and viruses.

    With few animal and microbial predators around, viruses likely play an important role in controlling the abundance of other microorganisms, the researcher say. However, these viruses have been historically hard to study since many cannot be grown in a laboratory. But thanks to new genome sequencing technology, scientists can identify viruses without needing to grow them.

    "We are just starting to uncover the world of viruses, and this is changing the way we think about viruses and the role they play in microbial ecosystems," said Antonio Alcami, a researcher from the Spanish Research Council.

    A virus is little more than a package of DNA surrounded by a capsule structure. To survive, viruses must hijack, or infect, living cells and use the host's equipment to replicate.

    Alcami and his colleagues analyzed DNA from viruses found in water samples collected from Antarctica's Lake Limnopolar, a surface lake on Livingston Island. They found nearly 10,000 species, including some small DNA viruses that had never before been identified. In total, the viruses were from 12 different families, some of which may be completely new to science, the researchers suggest.

    The results reveal this Antarctic lake supports a virus community that's more diverse than most aquatic environments studied in the world so far — a surprising find considering that the polar region is generally thought to have low biological diversity due to the extreme environmental conditions. The scientists speculate the newly discovered viruses may have adapted specifically to thrive in such harsh conditions.

    The team also found the community of viruses changed dramatically depending on the season. When the lake was ice-covered in the spring, the liquid water under the ice was inhabited by mostly small viruses, but in the summer months when the ice melted, the lake was home to mostly larger viruses.

    "It looks like a completely different lake in summer," Alcami said. The scientists think the shift might be due to an increase in algae in the summertime, which the larger viruses infect.

    The researchers hope to figure out whether any of the viruses are unique to Antarctica. If so, that would shed light on whether microbial life evolved independently in Antarctica, which has been isolated for millions of years, or they were introduced there more recently.

    The paper was published in the Nov. 6 issue of the journal Science.

    "The next major advancement in the health of American people will be determined by what the individual is willing to do for himself"-- John Knowles, Former President of the Rockefeller Foundation

  • #2
    Re: Frigid Antarctica is loaded with viruses

    Have they identified an increased viral load in eutrophic lakes?

    Answered my own question with a quick google and found a previous post for H5N1 and mass flamingo deaths:http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8302
    Was thinking Qinghai.. Interesting that salinity and a high pH are involved in the Kenyan lakes...
    They called it "toxins" in the algae laden water on the BBC article.
    "The only security we have is our ability to adapt."

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Frigid Antarctica is loaded with viruses

      many viruses ... but no mentioning of influenza


      I'm interested in expert panflu damage estimates
      my current links: http://bit.ly/hFI7H ILI-charts: http://bit.ly/CcRgT

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Frigid Antarctica is loaded with viruses

        Ah ha - but it could be!

        A rapidly frozen vitrified aqueous suspension of influenza A virus was observed by high resolution electron cryomicroscopy. The influenza particles were grouped into small (diameter < 150 nm) spherical particles with well organized interiors, large spherical ones with less internal organization, and filamentous ones. Envelopes of most of the large virus particles were phospholipid bilayers, and the chromatography fraction containing these large particles was largely devoid of viral activity. The envelopes of most of the filamentous and small spherical virus particles, on the other hand, gave a strange contrast which could be ascribed to a combination of a thin outer lipid monolayer and a 7.2 nm thick protein-containing inner layer. ....snip
        http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC394811/
        "The only security we have is our ability to adapt."

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Frigid Antarctica is loaded with viruses

          never been observed, AFAIK

          remember the withdrawn samples from Sibirian ice
          I'm interested in expert panflu damage estimates
          my current links: http://bit.ly/hFI7H ILI-charts: http://bit.ly/CcRgT

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Frigid Antarctica is loaded with viruses

            Originally posted by gsgs View Post
            many viruses ... but no mentioning of influenza
            These are live populations of virii infecting bacteria in the dark and algae in the light months - principally. Due to the sampling method for them to find flu virus you would need active replication and therefore birds, or perhaps penguins, but I do not think these lakes have fish populations and so no birds - unless they are very close to the coast.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Frigid Antarctica is loaded with viruses

              Serological evidences of influenza A virus infection in Antarctica migratory birds

              References and further reading may be available for this article. To view references and further reading you must purchase this article.


              E. Baumeister, a, , , G. Leottab, A. Pontorieroa, A. Camposa, D. Montaltic, G. Vigob, M. Pecorarob, d and V. Savya

              a Centro Nacional de Referencia para la Vigilancia de Influenza OPS/OMS, Servicio Virosis Respiratorias, INEI-ANLIS ?C.G.Malbr?n? Av. Velez Sarsfield 563, (1281), Buenos Aires, Argentina

              b Laboratorio de Investigaciones y Diagn?stico Bacteriol?gico, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina

              c Departamento de Biolog?a, Aves, Instituto Ant?rtico Argentino, Argentina

              d CONICET, Argentina


              Available online 30 June 2004.

              Abstract

              The possibility of the introduction of infectious agents to Antarctica animal life and its spread from Antarctica to other continents are recognized issues since the signature of the Antarctica Treaty. The migratory birds could be a potential vector for infectious agents .The aim of this work was to look for evidences of influenza A infection in different species of migratory birds from Antarctica. The search was done by antibody titration via haemagglutination inhibition test with inactivated antigens prepared with A/Sydney/5/97(H3N2), A/Bayern/7/95(H1N1), A/Texas/36/91(H1N1), A/Hong Kong/1073(H9N2), an A (H5) strain and A/Tky/Va/4529/02(H7N2) viruses, with the last three antigens given by the Influenza Branch, CDC, USA. Between December and May 2001 and 2002, 302 sera were collected in Bahia Esperanza, Peninsula Antarctica; Peninsula Potter, Isla 25 de Mayo; Punta Armonia, Isla Nelson, and Islas Shetland del Sur. The sera were treated with RDE and adsorbed with turkey red blood cells. The sampled species were Pygoscelis adeliae, Pygoscelis antarctica, Pygoscelis papua, Macronectes giganteus and Catharacta spp. The 2.3%, 11.6%, 31.4%, 0.00%, 12.25%, 0.3% of the tested birds had an antibody titer higher or equal to 40 for A/Sydney/5/97(H3N2), A/Bayern/7/95(H1N1), A/Texas/36/91(H1N1), A (H5) strain, A/Tky/Va/4529/02(H7N2) and A/Hong Kong/1073(H9N2) viruses, respectively. The highest titers were found in P. papua and M. giganteus with the A(H1N1) antigens. These results show the infections of the studied birds with influenza A viruses of the subtypes A(H1), A(H3), A(H7) and A(H9). This is the first communication of indirect evidences of influenza A infection in migratory aquatic birds of Southern Shetland Island and Bahia Esperanza, Antarctica.

              "The next major advancement in the health of American people will be determined by what the individual is willing to do for himself"-- John Knowles, Former President of the Rockefeller Foundation

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Frigid Antarctica is loaded with viruses

                Pygoscelis papua = Gentoo Penguin

                Macronectes giganteus = Southern Giant Petrel

                A survey found 366 breeding pairs of Souther Giant Petrel on Livingston island. see; http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bi...?taxon_id=1060

                .
                "The next major advancement in the health of American people will be determined by what the individual is willing to do for himself"-- John Knowles, Former President of the Rockefeller Foundation

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Frigid Antarctica is loaded with viruses

                  Originally posted by gsgs View Post
                  never been observed, AFAIK.....
                  Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

                  .
                  "The next major advancement in the health of American people will be determined by what the individual is willing to do for himself"-- John Knowles, Former President of the Rockefeller Foundation

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Frigid Antarctica is loaded with viruses

                    Touche!
                    "The only security we have is our ability to adapt."

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Frigid Antarctica is loaded with viruses

                      the martians did it


                      my summary: no flu found in Antarctican ice



                      why do they test for human viruses ?



                      The 2.3&#37;, 11.6%, 31.4%, 0.00%, 12.25%, 0.3% of the tested birds had an antibody titer higher or equal to 40 for

                      02.3% - A/Sydney/5/97(H3N2)
                      11.6% - A/Bayern/7/95(H1N1)
                      31.4% - A/Texas/36/91(H1N1)
                      00.0% - A (H5) strain
                      12.3% - A/Tky/Va/4529/02(H7N2)
                      00.3% - A/Hong Kong/1073(H9N2)
                      I'm interested in expert panflu damage estimates
                      my current links: http://bit.ly/hFI7H ILI-charts: http://bit.ly/CcRgT

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Frigid Antarctica is loaded with viruses

                        Originally posted by kiwibird View Post
                        Touche!
                        I believe it was ARR_309 who first posted that quote.

                        .
                        "The next major advancement in the health of American people will be determined by what the individual is willing to do for himself"-- John Knowles, Former President of the Rockefeller Foundation

                        Comment

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