Chinese scientists report bird flu in sparrows (2 years ago)

[Gert van der Hoek]

Chinese scientists report bird flu in sparrows

26 Oct 2006 11:26:57 GMT
Source: Reuters

More BEIJING, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Chinese scientists said they had found the H5N1 bird flu virus in sparrows two years ago, the first time it has been detected in non-migratory birds in China, Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.

Researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, in the central province of Hubei, found the virus in sparrows' excrement following an outbreak of bird flu in a county in neighbouring Henan province.

"There's no need for the public to panic. The findings are two years old and there is no indication that sparrows pose a risk," Xinhua quoted Li Tianxian, a researcher at the institute, as saying.

Chinese officials have in the past blamed outbreaks of bird flu in the country on migratory birds, but the findings indicate that the virus could also be among local birds common in urban areas.

With the world's largest poultry population, China is seen as a centre in the fight against bird flu, which scientists fear could mutate into a form that can pass easily between people, potentially causing a pandemic.

The country has already seen dozens of outbreaks of the virus in birds and at least 21 human cases, of whom 14 have died.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PEK216435.htm

 

[HenryN]

Re: Chinese scientists report bird flu in sparrows (2 years ago)

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/12010502/H5N1_Henan.html

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/12040501/H5N1_Henan_H3N2.html

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/03080601/H5N1_Recombination_Henan_PB1_More.html

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Chinese scientists report bird flu in sparrows (2 years ago)

More on sparrows and H5N1 on ProMed Mail:


http://www.promedmail.org/pls/askus...CHECK_DISPLAY,F2400_P1202_PUB_MAIL_ID:X,30731

http://www.promedmail.org/pls/askus...CHECK_DISPLAY,F2400_P1202_PUB_MAIL_ID:X,30909

http://www.promedmail.org/pls/askus...CHECK_DISPLAY,F2400_P1202_PUB_MAIL_ID:X,31148

http://www.promedmail.org/pls/askus...CHECK_DISPLAY,F2400_P1202_PUB_MAIL_ID:X,31475

http://www.promedmail.org/pls/askus...CHECK_DISPLAY,F2400_P1202_PUB_MAIL_ID:X,31478

http://www.promedmail.org/pls/askus...CHECK_DISPLAY,F2400_P1202_PUB_MAIL_ID:X,31691

http://www.promedmail.org/pls/askus...CHECK_DISPLAY,F2400_P1202_PUB_MAIL_ID:X,32861

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Chinese scientists report bird flu in sparrows (2 years ago)

More on the China sparrow report, was published in december 2005:

New Genotype of Avian Influenza H5N1 Viruses Isolated from Tree Sparrows in China

Z. Kou,1 F. M. Lei,2* J. Yu,3 Z. J. Fan,1 Z. H. Yin,2 C. X. Jia,2 K. J. Xiong,1 Y. H. Sun,2 X. W. Zhang,3 X. M. Wu,4 X. B. Gao,4 and T. X. Li1*

State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071 China,1 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100080 China,2 Beijing Genomics Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 101300 China,3 Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi'an, 710032 China4

Received 28 June 2005/ Accepted 27 September 2005

The 2004 outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 disease in China led to a great poultry loss and society attention. A survey of avian influenza viruses was conducted on tree sparrows (Passer montanus) collected in China in 2004.

Four viruses were isolated from free-living tree sparrows. The results of the whole-genome analysis indicated that an H5N1 virus with a new genotype is circulating among tree sparrows.

The hemagglutinin and neuraminidase genes of the new genotype were derived from Gs/Gd/96-like viruses and the nuclear protein gene descended from the 2001 genotype A H5N1 viruses, while the other inner genes originated from an unknown influenza virus.

In experimental infection, all four viruses were highly pathogenic to chickens but not pathogenic to ducks or mice. The four tree sparrow viruses were different from the 2003 tree sparrow strain (genotype Z) in Hong Kong. The results suggested that H5N1 viruses might be distributed widely in tree sparrows.

http://jvi.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/79/24/15460

 

[HenryN]

Re: Chinese scientists report bird flu in sparrows (2 years ago)

The wild birds are involved with the spread of H5N1 locally, as well as movement to long range migratory birds which move sequences from Alaska to New Zealand, including H5N1 from Japan to Indonesia.

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Chinese scientists report bird flu in sparrows (2 years ago)

Why should this come up now, again, published december 2005?

Could be something is going on, blame it on the sparrows.....?

 

[HenryN]

Re: Chinese scientists report bird flu in sparrows (2 years ago)

Why should this come up now, again, published december 2005?

Could be something is going on, blame it on the sparrows.....?

The same authors have released a large number of H5N1 sequences from China, which include poultry, wild birds, and swine. These sequences are tightly linked tomn the tree sparrow sequences via recombination.

The media may be trying to get the real story out, instead of the reassortment / "random mutation" nonsense, which is DOA.

 

[Niko]

Re: Chinese scientists report bird flu in sparrows (2 years ago)

Why should this come up now, again, published december 2005?

Could be something is going on, blame it on the sparrows.....?

Good questions. Also, why are the articles treating this as a new news?

Just one of several similar reports...

Bird flu reportedly found in Chinese sparrows

By China correspondent Stephen McDonell

Chinese scientists have reportedly found bird flu in sparrows.

It is the first time the virus has been discovered in common, non-migratory birds on the Chinese mainland. (Huh? )

It was thought the H5N1 bird flu was transmitted by migratory water fowl, but this finding indicates ordinary, non-migratory birds can also carry and transmit the virus.

Scientists tested excrement samples from sparrows after a bird flu outbreak in Henan province, and some tested positive.

Health officials have stressed there is still no indication that sparrows pose a risk to humans.

China has reported 21 human bird flu infections since 2003; 14 of those are reported to have died.