Grey heron found H5 positive in Hong Kong (Avian Flu)

[pandemic_1918]

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-12/11/content_2321942.htm

HONG KONG, Dec. 11 (Xinhuanet) -- A grey heron found in Hong Kong earlier has been confirmed an H5 avian flu suspect, and further tests are underway for the nature of the virus, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said Saturday.


A grey heron found in Hong Kong earlier has been confirmed an H5 avian flu suspect, and further tests are underway for the nature of the virus. （file）
The department collected the bird in Lok Ma Chau on Dec. 3. Appearing to be sick at the time, it was sent to the New Territories North Animal Management Center for isolation and observation. It died the following day.

A post-mortem later at the department's Tai Lung Veterinary Laboratory showed the bird was an H5 suspect. Subsequent tests on the bird all indicated an H5 positive result.

[pandemic_1918]

1. The Canary in the Mine Shaft

The dead heron in Hong Kong will almost certainly be H5N1 indicating avian flu in Hong Kong is just one flight away.

http://www.recombinomics.com/H5_Hong_Kong.html

The heron is migratory for Hong Kong and brings in new sequences fro the new flu seasons. Its like the canary in the mine shaft - a warning that danger lies ahead.

[spotbird]

2. The other flu thread died before your answer came.

Are you familiar with Sambucol and do you think it is a credible alternative or hucksterism?

I have no opinion either way, I'm just curious for the opinion of someone who follows this closely.

[pandemic_1918]

5. Antivirals Against H5N1

Only antiviral that has demonstrated activity against H5N1 is Tamiflu, and it seems better in tissue culture than in the field

http://www.recombinomics.com/H5N1_anti_virals.html

[livinbella]

3. Please tell me, how do people contract this from birds?

Do we touch the bird flop and absorb it thru our skin?
Is it transmitted via the air?
Do we get it by eating the bird?

[pandemic_1918]

4. Contracting Bird Flu

Bird flu is in high concentrations in feces as well as the bird itself. It is like a human flu virus and is filled by cooking or simply washing hands. Many of the initial human cases have a history of contact with dead birds, but many do not. However, ducks can grow high titers of virus and not get sick and they may account for additional cases.

At a zoo in Thailand 1/3 of the tigers died after being fed uncooked chickens, although many probably caught the virus from other tigers.

http://www.recombinomics.com/more_tiger_deaths.html

Similarly some human to human cases are suspected.

http://www.recombinomics.com/human_human_probable.html

http://www.recombinomics.com/pham_trans.html

Hand to mouth or eyes is the easiest transmission, but it is likely that avian flu will acquire human receptor binding properties and then be passed human to human as easily as human flu is passed - through the air by sneezing and coughing.

[livinbella]

13. thank you for that thorough explanation

[Javaman]

15. SE Asia is the birth place of most modern flu's...

Basically, birds poop infected poop into rice paddies, rice is harvested, the remaining stalks are fed to pigs as food. The flu jumps to the pig. The pig is usually a good host for a strain that will jump to humans (swine flu).
However, this latest version of avian flu, may jump directly to humans, I don't know.
There is a great book about the flu, called, "FLU", by Gina Kolata

[TahitiNut]

6. Virus reassortment is just a ticking time-bomb.

It's a wonder that it hasn't reassorted into a virulent human virus yet. I really wonder whether it really has, and the result was too virulent to propagate.

[pandemic_1918]

7. Recombination is the Driver

The virus continues to recombine and expand its host range

http://www.recombinomics.com/swine_human_signatures.html

[pandemic_1918]

10. Viral Reassortment - Humans and Birds

If you are looking for viral reassortment, check out the isolates this year in Korean pigs

http://www.recombinomics.com/1933_2004_H1N1_farm.html

These isolates have reassorted human and avian genes. The 6 isolates have 7,5,4, or 3 human genes and in addition, at least 2 of the genes have also recombined (PB2 and NA).

The virus is definitely mixing and matching in Korea TODAY (I expect news from WHO to be out in a week or two - they are verifying sequences on deposit at GenBank)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Info&id=300743&lvl=3&lin=f&keep=1&srchmode=1&unlock

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Info&id=300744&lvl=3&lin=f&keep=1&srchmode=1&unlock

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Info&id=300747&lvl=3&lin=f&keep=1&srchmode=1&unlock

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Info&id=300748&lvl=3&lin=f&keep=1&srchmode=1&unlock

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Info&id=300745&lvl=3&lin=f&keep=1&srchmode=1&unlock

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Info&id=300746&lvl=3&lin=f&keep=1&srchmode=1&unlock

[pandemic_1918]

17. A Real Time Bomb

The 1933 human flu virus in 2004 Korean pigs literally is a time bomb.

You should hear much more about it shortly

http://www.recombinomics.com/WSN_33_recombination_reassortment.html

[robcon]

8. Contracting bird flu is impossible for humans.

The only way humans could contract it is by some random variation in the virus that can survive in humans. Not very likely - but, as with all viruses, not a zero probablity.

[pandemic_1918]

9. Case Fatality Rate of H5N1 (In Humans) - 70%

>>The only way humans could contract it is by some random variation in the virus that can survive in humans. Not very likely >>

Not even close. In 2004 the case fatality rate for H5N1 in Thailand and Vietnam was 70-80% (in humans - median age 13)

http://www.recombinomics.com/H5N1_case_fatality_rate.html

The current avian flu can infect and kill humans. In fact if you get avian flu and go to the hospital, the odds are 3-1 against you leaving the hospital alive.

In addition, there have been cases this year of H5N1 being transmitted from one human to another

http://www.recombinomics.com/human_human_probable.html

http://www.recombinomics.com/pham_trans.html

[amazona]

11. IF you're infected, transmission is not that easy

I am very uncomfortable because noises are being made about China's migratory flyway and it sounds like they are looking an excuse to persecute these birds.

The people who in fact contracted avian flu were not just sitting idly by while a heron flew over them. They were working in close quarters with live poultry.

[pandemic_1918]

12. Avian Flu Transmission

The problems is the flu in the migratory birds infects the poultry and a recombinant virus emerges than can then be passed human to human (at that point, no birds required).

[amazona]

18. doesn't justify de-populating an entire major flyway

I hate to think of destroying an entire flyway because of a "might could" happen. Where does it end? We have migratory birds too. We are not completely isolated from the Old World.

We already de-populate millions upon millions of chickens and other poultry every year in the U.S. alone to protect against diseases like Newcastle's and avian flu that impact the industry. I'll agree that this action is necessary to protect food source.

However, when it comes to a point where we have to de-populate the wildlife of a continent to survive, maybe we don't deserve to survive. I just don't like the rumors I am hearing. When all birds are gone, there will still be flu.

[pandemic_1918]

19. Grey Herons

Actually, this is the second H5 positive Grey Heron on Hong Kong in a month. It will be interesting to see the sequences, but it looks more and more like migratory birds provide new sequences that create new problems (although eventually such problems will be quite predictable and countered with effective vaccines).

http://www.recombinomics.com/vaccine_development.html

[pandemic_1918]

20. Bird Depopulation

I agree that depopulating a flyway would not be very effective. The virus is endemic and widespread and has lots of sources for new sequences and new recombinations.

[Dogmudgeon]

14. This is getting a tad unsettling

I've recently heard that non-influenza viri have also been developing increasingly lethal polymorphisms ("mutants"). One of the Chicken Pox polymorphisms is said to be lethal to approximately 70% of the animals tested and/or observed, and is "reliably" pandemic. (But I don't have a lot of faith in the source I read.)

Exactly how much fire are we playing with, with the H5N1 (and higher-order) flu variants?

--p!

[pandemic_1918]

16. Flu Fires

There are actually two flu pandemics emerging at the molecular level. One is with H5N1 which is not yet efficiently transmitted human to human, but it is definitely getting close

http://www.recombinomics.com/alarm_bells.html

The other is 1933 human flu in Korean pigs right now

http://www.recombinomics.com/WSN_33_Korean_farms.html

It has 1933 human genes and should be quite infectious in humans without further genetic changes

http://www.recombinomics.com/1933_2004_H1N1.html

WHO is confirming and this should be in the headlines in the next week or two.