'US Scientists Resurrect Deadly 1918 Flu'
Bestselling titles on the 1918 Global 'Spanish' Flu Pandemic
US scientists resurrect deadly 1918 flu
By Debora MacKenzie,
NewScientist.com news service,
5 October 2005.
In a surprise announcement, scientists in the US say they have recreated the influenza virus that killed at least 50 million people in 1918, and they have infected mice with it.
They say the need to understand how flu viruses cause lethal pandemics outweighs any safety risks. But the risks may not be negligible.
By painstakingly piecing together viral fragments from hospital specimens and a victim buried in Alaskan permafrost, Jeff Taubenberger and colleagues at the US Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Rockville, Maryland, have now sequenced all eight coding regions of the 1918 flu virus’s genome. They published the last three - coding for the polymerase complex that allows the virus to replicate - on Wednesday (Nature DOI: 10.1038/nature04230).
Meanwhile, Terrence Tumpey at the US Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta and colleagues used the sequences to rebuild the virus itself, and infect mice with it. They report this week that unlike other flu viruses, 1918 does not need a protein-splitting enzyme from its surroundings to replicate, instead using some hitherto-unknown mechanism. And as in 1918, it rapidly destroys lungs (Science, vol 310, p 77).
Deadly genes
By replacing the genes for either the 1918 virus’s surface protein, haemagglutinin (HA), or for its polymerase complex, with genes from a tamer, related flu, the team showed that both contribute to its deadliness, with the HA especially damaging for lungs.
“This work will help us make vaccines and antivirals against pandemic strains,” says Tumpey. It is unclear how, as the next pandemic is likely to be a different kind of flu.
But, says Taubenberger, the 1918 sequences are already helping in another way: they prove that a bird flu can go pandemic without combining with a human flu, and suggest which mutations it needs. The most likely pandemic candidate, H5N1 bird flu, already has some of the mutations. We should watch out for more, he warns.
The CDC handled the 1918 virus at only the second-highest level of biological containment, in which lab workers wear breathing hoods but not completely enclosed “spacesuits”.
Existing immunity
If such a virulent virus escaped it could cause serious illness and death. But CDC director Julie Gerberding says that in the event of an accidental release, drugs, vaccines and people’s existing immunity would limit the risk.
Most people have been infected with milder flu viruses related to the 1918 strain. Gerberding says that they, and mice vaccinated against these viruses, have antibodies that give “cross-protection” to 1918 flu. Similar prior exposure to previous flu viruses protected some people in 1918. But, she admits, “we don’t know to what extent this would protect people from harm”.
Gerberding told New Scientist that the highest level of containment is for pathogens for which there are no drugs and vaccines, which is not true of 1918 flu.
But while a specific 1918 vaccine is possible, none is now available, and Tumpey says no vaccine has been tested against the resurrected virus. Likewise, he says, while the 1918 virus has no mutations known to confer resistance to antiviral drugs, these drugs have not been tested on infected mice.
H5N1 also has no mutations giving resistance to the antiviral oseltamivir. But in studies published in July 2005, even high, prolonged doses of oseltamivir saved only 80 per cent of infected mice. If the drug has similar efficacy against 1918 flu, it might not stop the virus from spreading further if it escaped.
(News items are posted under 'Fair Use' provisions)
See also:
'Is Tamiflu A Prescription For Survival?'
More bestselling titles on Influenza, Epidemics and Plagues
Want to order,find or review a new or current book on Bird Flu, Viruses or Pandemics?
Search for it here by title, keyword, or author...
News Items, Reports And Analysis You Need To Know
You'll find the following expert books on Emergency Preparedness, Food Storage
and Survival both fascinating and useful...
Advertise your Toronto, Mimico, Etobicoke, or Mississauga retail store, business,
real estate property or professional service on this Web site!
Your listing would include your phone number and a linked web page on this site.
For sample pages, see the advertising rates information and existing advertiser's links below.
Call JKW Media Consulting at 416-521 9634. See our advertising rates page.
Save even more with Amazon.Com Outlet bargains:
You'll also find one of the world's biggest selections of Survival Books,
Emergency Preparedness Books and Independent Living Books at Amazon.Com.
Current Survival Skills book bestsellers
Interested in finding, ordering or reviewing a new, current, or hard-to-find book?
Search for it here by title, keyword, or author...
Take advantage of Amazon.com's remarkable discounts to build your own
book, music, video and DVD library!
Save even more on your purchases by applying for an Amazon.com Platinum Visa® Card!
Click on the banner below for more information.
Planning a Vacation or a Business Trip?
Interested in finding other titles on survival skills or independent living?
Search for them here by title, keyword, or author...
Order these superb popular and practical bestsellers, too:
(click on the banners below)
Click on the banners below to enjoy a huge selection
with big savings at Amazon.Com!
Boost your Internet research and enjoyment with a powerful new notebook computer!
[click 'refresh' if you don't see notebook computers in the box below]
Stay in touch and up-to-date with your own Personal Digital Assistant!
[click 'refresh' if you don't see PDAs in the box below]
You can communicate on the move and access the Internet, too!
[click 'refresh' if you don't see electronic products in the box below]
Relax and enjoy some good music as you work or travel!
[click 'refresh' if you don't see electronics in the box below]
You'll find these bestselling GPS units useful for traveling and navigation, too!
(click on 'refresh' if GPS units don't appear in the box below)
Enjoy life's experiences with these bestselling Digital Cameras
(click on 'refresh' if cameras don't appear in the box below)
Preserve the memories with these bestselling Camcorders
(click on 'refresh' if camcorders don't appear in the box below)
Enhance your viewing and video playback with a high-definition plasma TV!
[click 'refresh' if you don't see plasma televisions in the box below]
We also recommend these associated sites
[click on the banners below]
Looking for a new computer? Find one here that best meets your needs!
You can also purchase products and gifts from these trusted retailers
conveniently and quickly through Amazon.Com. Just click on the banners below:
And you can also purchase, give or send these fine products:
As well aa these valuable, practical and personal products:
Enjoy these finely-crafted products and gift ideas:
Save even more on these bestselling products!
Businesses on Mimico-by-the-Lake.Com that we highly recommend:
Click on the banner below to grow your Mimico-by-the-Lake,
Mimico, Etobicoke, Mississauga or Toronto business!
Reach new customers or clients by advertising your Mimico-by-the-Lake,
Mimico, Etobicoke, Mississauga or Toronto Business or Service on this site!
You can reach new customers for your auto, apartment, condominium, rental, real estate agents and real estate agency, professional, retail, restaurant, jewellers and jewellery, video, music, DVD, men's clothing, children's clothing, women's fashion, food, financial, investing, home repair, employment agency, supermarket, bakery, delicatessen, coffee shop, fast food, pizza, caterers and catering, tutoring, educational, beauty salon, hair styling, maid service, quality home cleaning, quality office cleaning, janitorial, exercise, gym, equipment, inspection, appraisers, hardware, opticians, accountants, lawyers, beauty spa, health spa, computer, book store, florists, copy, print, pharmacy, cell phone, orthodontists, parcel delivery, bookkeeping, tax preparation, piano teachers, photography, wedding photographers, wine, electronics, wholistic health, chiropractic, dental, antiques, furniture, auto repair, daycare, pet care, boutique, automobile leasing, automobile dealership, car repair, auto parts, garage, counselling, nursing home, retirement home, consultants, fencing, driveway, contractors, lawn care, fruits and vegetables, moving, trucking, self-storage, travel agents and travel agency, bar, insurance brokers, insurance agents and insurance agency, management consulting, executive recruiting, church, architects, bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, gardening, interior designers, home renovation, home remodeling, home improvement, home decorating, home security, hotel, motel, plumbers, electricians, or builders business, service and services, or retail store!
Is your business on the Lakeshore, on Lakeshore Blvd West, on Lakeshore Blvd. East, on the Toronto waterfront, on Bloor Street, on Queen Street, on King Street, on Dundas Street, on the Queensway, on College Street, on the Kingsway, on Yonge Street, on Bay Street, on University Avenue, on St. Clair Avenue, on Eglinton Avenue, on York Mills Road, on Sheppard Avenue, on Lawrence Avenue, on Wilson Avenue, on Steeles Avenue, on Kipling Avenue, on Islington Avenue, on Royal York Road, on Jane Street, on Keele Street, on Dufferin Street, on Bathurst Street, on Bayview Avenue, on Leslie Street, on Don Mills Road, on Victoria Park Avenue, on Pharmacy Avenue, on Warden Avenue, on Birchmount Road, on Kennedy Road, on Midland Avenue, on Brimley Road, on McCowan Road, on Markham Road, or on Kingston Road?
Click on the banner below for more information.
