Giuseppe
Emeritus
[Source: mBio, full text: (LINK). Abstract, edited.]
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Mammalian-Transmissible H5N1 Influenza: Facts and Perspective
Michael T. Osterholm<SUP>a,b</SUP> and Nicholas S. Kelley<SUP>a</SUP>
<SUP></SUP>
Author Affiliations: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy,<SUP>a</SUP> and Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health,<SUP>b</SUP> School of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Address correspondence to Michael T. Osterholm, mto@umn.edu.
Abstract
Two recently submitted (but as yet unpublished) studies describe success in creating mutant isolates of H5N1 influenza A virus that can be transmitted via the respiratory route between ferrets; concern has been raised regarding human-to-human transmissibility of these or similar laboratory-generated influenza viruses. Furthermore, the potential release of methods used in these studies has engendered a great deal of controversy around publishing potential dual-use data and also has served as a catalyst for debates around the true case-fatality rate of H5N1 influenza and the capability of influenza vaccines and antivirals to impact any future unintentional or intentional release of H5N1 virus. In this report, we review available seroepidemiology data for H5N1 infection and discuss how case-finding strategies may influence the overall case-fatality rate reported by the WHO. We also provide information supporting the position that if an H5N1 influenza pandemic occurred, available medical countermeasures would have limited impact on the associated morbidity and mortality.
Footnotes
Citation Osterholm MT, Kelley NS. 2012. Mammalian-transmissible H5N1 influenza: facts and perspective. mBio 3(2):e00045-12. doi:10.1128/mBio.00045-12.
Copyright ? 2012 Osterholm et al.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License, which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
-Michael T. Osterholm<SUP>a,b</SUP> and Nicholas S. Kelley<SUP>a</SUP>
<SUP></SUP>
Author Affiliations: Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy,<SUP>a</SUP> and Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health,<SUP>b</SUP> School of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Address correspondence to Michael T. Osterholm, mto@umn.edu.
Abstract
Two recently submitted (but as yet unpublished) studies describe success in creating mutant isolates of H5N1 influenza A virus that can be transmitted via the respiratory route between ferrets; concern has been raised regarding human-to-human transmissibility of these or similar laboratory-generated influenza viruses. Furthermore, the potential release of methods used in these studies has engendered a great deal of controversy around publishing potential dual-use data and also has served as a catalyst for debates around the true case-fatality rate of H5N1 influenza and the capability of influenza vaccines and antivirals to impact any future unintentional or intentional release of H5N1 virus. In this report, we review available seroepidemiology data for H5N1 infection and discuss how case-finding strategies may influence the overall case-fatality rate reported by the WHO. We also provide information supporting the position that if an H5N1 influenza pandemic occurred, available medical countermeasures would have limited impact on the associated morbidity and mortality.
Footnotes
Citation Osterholm MT, Kelley NS. 2012. Mammalian-transmissible H5N1 influenza: facts and perspective. mBio 3(2):e00045-12. doi:10.1128/mBio.00045-12.
Copyright ? 2012 Osterholm et al.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License, which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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