Rhiza Labs FluTracker Forum

this old item popped up in news, but might be relevant to H7 culling of birds in next post

http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2008/ ... l_r080610a

For Immediate Release: June 10, 2008

CDC Finds Some Bird Flu Strains have Acquired Properties that Might Enhance Potential to Infect Humans

ATLANTA, Ga.-The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released results of a study suggesting that some North American avian influenza A H7 virus strains have properties that might enhance their potential to infect humans as well as their potential to spread from human to human.

The study was recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. Avian influenza A H7 viruses are fairly common in birds, but rarely infect humans. Most cases of avian influenza infection in humans have resulted from contact with infected poultry or contaminated surfaces.

“We know that influenza viruses are constantly changing and that is why it′s so important to watch them carefully. In this study, we discovered that some recently identified avian influenza A H7 viruses have some properties that could enhance their potential to infect people and possibly spread among people,” explained Dr. Jessica Belser, CDC lead author on the project.

Influenza viruses infect humans by attaching to certain sugar receptor molecules found on cells in the respiratory tract in humans. Influenza viruses can have differing degrees of ability to bind to these receptors. The greater an influenza virus′s ability to bind to these receptors, the greater the likelihood that the virus can cause illness in humans and possibly be passed from human to human. Three recent H7N2 strains and two H7N3 strains from North America were tested and found to bind to varying degrees to both avian and human receptors. One virus, an H7N2 virus strain isolated from an immune compromised man in New York in 2003, was found to have the greatest binding to the human sugar receptors. This study′s findings suggest that these North American avian influenza A H7 viruses are partially adapted to recognize sugar receptors preferred by human influenza viruses which are found in the human upper respiratory tract.

“The results of this study underscore the importance of continued influenza virus surveillance,” said Dr. Belser.

http://wireupdate.com/wires/16148/h7-bi ... therlands/


KAPELLE, NETHERLANDS (BNO NEWS) -- A strain of bird flu was found at a poultry farm in southwestern the Netherlands on Friday, the Dutch government confirmed. Tens of thousands of chickens will be culled as a result.

The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation said in a statement that bird flu was detected at a poultry farm in the municipality of Kapelle, located in the province of Zeeland. "It involves the H7 variant," it said.

The Ministry said the exact subtype of the bird flu virus was not yet known, but noted that the low pathogenic variant is able to mutate into a highly pathogenic variant. "In the afternoon of March 25 it will be known whether this involves a low or highly pathogenic variant," the statement said.

In compliance with European rules, all 127,500 chickens at the poultry farm will be culled on Friday and a movement ban for a radius of 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) has been announced and applies to poultry, eggs, poultry manure, poultry litter and poultry food.

The Ministry said it believes the bird flu infection in Kapelle is likely the result of wild birds whose feces are contaminated with the virus. Humans do not frequently get infected, depending on which variant is involved, but there are fears the bird flu virus could mutate into a type that can easily spread among humans, causing a deadly pandemic.

In 2003, the Netherlands was hit hard by an epidemic of the H7N7 bird flu strain, resulting in the cull of more than 25 million birds. It also infected at least 89 people, all except three who had contact with poultry. One of the victims, a veterinarian, died after having close contact with infected poultry.