Are there many mild cases of H5N1?

[DeadAhead]

Re: Are there many mild cases of H5N1?

Thanks, JJackson, scary indeed.

And thanks, Blue, I just came back here from reading the Reveres (with a response from the NAMRU guy in Jakarta about a seropositive study that was planned, then canceled).


I could add that when I'm out googling for obscure but important details about H5N1, I am coming across more and more posts from FluTrackers. Good ones, too (except for one of mine that was hardly what I needed at that moment because I already didn't know enough).

Be well, DA

 

[Laidback Al]

Re: Are there many mild cases of H5N1?

Below is a link to a series of articles on seroprevalence.

http://www.fluwikie.com/pmwiki.php?n=Science.Seroprevalence

Thanks for the link JohnW. The wiki page, primarily prepared by Monotreme, has a historical summary of seroprevalence/seroconversion studies related to H5N1. The most important link is Table 2 from Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Infection in Humans by The Writing Committee of the World Health Organization (2005) reproduced here:



Seroconversions are generally lacking among the tested individuals and especially Health Care Workers (HCWs), with the exception of 2 HCWs reported by Bridges et al. (2000). Surprisingly to me, this reference from 2000 relating to the two HCWs is one of the earliest references suggesting H2H transmissions in humans.

Our study has shown for the first time, based on the epidemiologic evidence and the seroconversion of 2 HCWs, that human-to-human transmission of H5N1 occurred. Although no human H5N1 infections have been detected since December 1997, influenza H5 viruses, along with other influenza A subtypes, continue to circulate among bird populations [3, 15].

Also in the NEJM article, The Writing Committee of the World Health Organization identifies a nurse with severe illness from Vietnam but does not provide any additional information.

However, one case of severe illness was reported in a nurse exposed to an infected patient in Vietnam.

These data suggest a need for a coordinated follow up antibody testing effort especially among HCWs.

 

[Shannon Bennett]

Re: Are there many mild cases of H5N1?

Laidback Al, the poultry workers that tested positive for antibodies were, as I recall, infected with low path not high path H5N1 were they not?

I'd also like to add that drug resistance isn't the only aspect of HIV/AIDS concurrent infections. A compromised immune system seems to prevent the rapid and most common reason for mortality among H5N1 patients, ARDS. It also appears to prolong the viruses ability to continue to replicate within its host. This is the reason for drug resistance. This is also a perfect breeding ground for optimal changes on the coat to adjust to humans as another host pool. The longer the virus replicates the larger the number of possible changes. Natural selection will weed out the less human more bird oriented characteristics, and encourage changes that favor humans as a host.

 

[Laidback Al]

Re: Are there many mild cases of H5N1?

The ProMed article stated that the cullers in South Korea tested positive for the "lethal" strain of H5N1.

Here is a link to the post on South Korea.

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=58534&postcount=1