UNCLASSIFIED
Avian Influenza Daily Digest
December 3, 2008 15:15 GMT
This digest is produced by the United States Government, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Washington DC, USA. Articles and resource documents in this digest are from open sources and unclassified.
This digest contains raw open source content and is not an evaluated intelligence product. Readers are encouraged to contribute updates and/or clarifications that will be posted in subsequent issues of the digest. Articles may contain copyrighted material, further dissemination outside government channels may be prohibited without permission from the copyright owners.
Unsubscribe/Subscribe to the AI Digest
Contact AI Digest Editor/Contribute (U) Information
Contribute (U) Updates/Clarifications to a previously reported article
Contribute (U) Information anonymouslyNew!
60-Day HPAI H5N1 Outbreak Map
2008 WHO Confirmed Human Cases HPAI H5N1
AI Daily Digest Archive
Article Summaries ...
Announcement
Report: The Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism
The Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism released its new report today. The report - World at Risk can be downloaded directly from http://documents.scribd.com/docs/2avb51ejt0uadzxm2wpt.pdf If you have trouble with the link go to their main website -- http://www.preventwmd.gov/report/ where the report can be viewed or downloaded as a whole as in its various parts.
Announcement
Quid Novi
Nigeria: Gombe reports prompt response to bird flu
Conferences and Training
IMED 2009 Extends Deadline for submitting Abstract
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Pakistan: Measures taken to control bird flu
12/1/08 International News/Pakistan--instructions of Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif, the Health Department, with the collaboration of other departments concerned, has started taking precautionary measures to control Avian Influenza (bird flu) among human beings during the winter.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
India: Egg exports to Gulf hit on N-E bird flu outbreak
12/2/08 The Hindu--The bird flu scare in the north-east has affected the table egg exports from Namakkal to a few Gulf nations once again. During the past month, egg export industry recovered as countries such as Muscat lifted ban on imports from India after the World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) declared India a bird flu-free country, according to a top official in National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC). ?As soon as the news of birdflu outbreak in India spread, Muscat rejected a consignment of eggs from Namakkal on Sunday,? the official said.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Science and Technology
Draft Interagency Risk Assessment for the Public Health Impact of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus in Poultry, Shell Eggs, and Egg Products
November 2008--USDA FSIS Website * Executive Summary (PDF)
AI Research
Protection of chickens against H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus infection by live vaccination with infectious laryngotracheitis virus recombinants expressing H5 hemagglutinin and N1 neuraminidase
12/3/08 PubMed--Abstract--Attenuated vaccine strains of the alphaherpesvirus causing infectious laryngotracheitis of chickens (ILTV, gallid herpesvirus 1) can be used for mass application. Previously, we showed that live virus vaccination with recombinant ILTV expressing hemagglutinin of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) protected chickens against ILT and fowl plague caused by HPAIV carrying the corresponding hemagglutinin subtypes [Lüschow D, Werner O, Mettenleiter TC, Fuchs W. Protection of chickens from lethal avian influenza A virus infection by live-virus vaccination with infectious laryngotracheitis virus recombinants expressing the hemagglutinin (H5) gene. Vaccine 2001;19(30):4249-59; Veits J, Lüschow D, Kindermann K, Werner O, Teifke JP, Mettenleiter TC, et al. Deletion of the non-essential UL0 gene of infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) virus leads to attenuation in chickens, and UL0 mutants expressing influenza virus haemagglutinin (H7) protect against ILT and fowl plague. J Gen Virol 2003;84(12):3343-52]. However, protection against H5N1 HPAIV was not satisfactory. Therefore, a newly designed dUTPase-negative ILTV vector was used for rapid insertion of the H5-hemagglutinin, or N1-neuraminidase genes of a recent H5N1 HPAIV isolate. Compared to our previous constructs, protein expression was considerably enhanced by insertion of synthetic introns downstream of the human cytomegalovirus immediate-early promoter within the 5'-nontranslated region of the transgenes. Deletion of the viral dUTPase gene did not affect in vitro replication of the ILTV recombinants, but led to sufficient attenuation in vivo. After a single ocular immunization, all chickens developed H5- or N1-specific serum antibodies. Nevertheless, animals immunized with N1-ILTV died after subsequent H5N1 HPAIV challenge, although survival times were prolonged compared to non-vaccinated controls. In contrast, all chickens vaccinated with either H5-ILTV alone, or H5- and N1-ILTV simultaneously, survived without showing any clinical signs. Real-time RT-PCR indicated limited challenge virus replication after vaccination with H5-ILTV only, which was completely blocked after coimmunization with N1-ILTV. Thus, chickens can be protected from H5N1 HPAIV-induced disease by live vaccination with an attenuated hemagglutinin-expressing ILTV recombinant, and efficacy can be further increased by coadministration of an ILTV mutant expressing neuraminidase. Furthermore, chickens vaccinated with ILTV vectors can be easily differentiated from influenza virus-infected animals by the absence of serum antibodies against the AIV nucleoprotein.
AI Research
In age of pandemics, human and animal health intersect
12/3/08 Herald Tribune--Our nation voted for change in the last presidential election. The world community appears to approve. A strategy for fast-forwarding health care change is also receiving a heavy and favorable voter turnout globally in the scientific electorate. Unfortunately, very few in the general population are aware of this dynamic process and its great potential.
Science and Technology
USDA FSIS Seeks Comments on Health Impact of Avian Influenza
12/3/08 Food Product Design--USDA?s Food Safety and Inspection Service is seeking public comments on a draft quantitative food safety risk assessment for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus from consumption of poultry products, shell eggs and egg products.
Science and Technology
DAI creates health unit
12/3/08 Washington Business Journal--DAI has launched a new business unit to focus on the health-related services.
AI Research
Bird flu makes mallards thin, study finds
12/2/08 Reuters--Avian flu viruses make mallard ducks thinner than other ducks, a finding that implies they do not spread the germs over long distances, researchers reported Tuesday. Their tests of thousands of ducks migrating through Sweden showed the viruses do affect the birds, contrary to conventional wisdom that the pathogens have no effect on them. And, to their surprise, they found the birds only "shed," or release, virus for a few days, the researchers reported in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
AI Research
Full Text of Articles follow ...
AI Research
Draft Interagency Risk Assessment for the Public Health Impact of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus in Poultry, Shell Eggs, and Egg Products
November 2008--USDA FSIS Website
* Executive Summary (PDF)
* Report (PDF; 1.8mb)
* Response to Peer Review Comments (PDF; 4.2mb)
* Models
o Shell Eggs Model (XLS; 1.7mb)
o Poultry Model (XLS; 2.3mb)
* Federal Register Notice (Dec 2008)
o Docket No. FSIS-2007-0001 | PDF
Announcement
Report: The Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism
The Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction
Proliferation and Terrorism released its new report today. The report -
World at Risk can be downloaded directly from
http://documents.scribd.com/docs/2avb51ejt0uadzxm2wpt.pdf
If you have trouble with the link go to their main website --
http://www.preventwmd.gov/report/ where the report can be viewed or downloaded as a whole as in its various parts.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
Pakistan: Measures taken to control bird flu
12/1/08 International News/Pakistan--instructions of Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif, the Health Department, with the collaboration of other departments concerned, has started taking precautionary measures to control Avian Influenza (bird flu) among human beings during the winter.
In this connection, a meeting of the officers of health, livestock, wildlife departments and the veterinary research institute was held under the chairmanship of the Punjab Health Services director general here on Friday.
According to a handout, Health DG Dr Muhammad Aslam Chaudhry informed the meeting that the chief minister had demanded the departments concerned to take all possible precautionary measures during the winter to control bird flu in the province. Therefore, a mechanism should be evolved by identifying the responsibilities of each department, he added.
The meeting was told that the Punjab Health Department would organise training workshop in Lahore for Health district officers (DOs) of each district, a physician, a nurse, a laboratory technician and one focal person each from livestock and wildlife departments. The workshop would be organised in the first week of the next month. During the first phase of the campaign against bird flu, 16 districts, considered to be sensitive due to large number of poultry farms, would be given priority.
They are: Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Jhang, TT Singh, Sheikhupura, Okara, Muzaffargar, Bahawalpur, DG Khan, Rahimyar Khan, Jehlum, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Attock and Multan.
The Punjab chief secretary, according to the Health DG, had issued directions for reactivation of already constituted committees, headed by the DCOs for this purpose. The meeting decided that the Livestock Department would register all the poultry farms while the TMAs would collect data of chicken shops.
It was decided that training workshops would be organised for the owners and workers of poultry farms at districts and tehsil levels to educate them about handling the birds while protecting themselves. Moreover, awareness seminars would also be organised at the tehsil level. The meeting recommended that if any bird was found H5-N1 positive in any district, the livestock officer concerned would immediately inform the Health EDO and the focal person in Lahore Dr Ziaur Rehman, director CDC, so that the people of the area could be protected from the virus. For this purpose, a surveillance system would also be improved with the close coordination as well as liaison among the departments concerned.
AI Research
Protection of chickens against H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus infection by live vaccination with infectious laryngotracheitis virus recombinants expressing H5 hemagglutinin and N1 neuraminidase
12/3/08 PubMed--Pavlova SP, Veits J, Keil GM, Mettenleiter TC, Fuchs W. Institute of Molecular Biology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
Attenuated vaccine strains of the alphaherpesvirus causing infectious laryngotracheitis of chickens (ILTV, gallid herpesvirus 1) can be used for mass application. Previously, we showed that live virus vaccination with recombinant ILTV expressing hemagglutinin of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) protected chickens against ILT and fowl plague caused by HPAIV carrying the corresponding hemagglutinin subtypes [Lüschow D, Werner O, Mettenleiter TC, Fuchs W. Protection of chickens from lethal avian influenza A virus infection by live-virus vaccination with infectious laryngotracheitis virus recombinants expressing the hemagglutinin (H5) gene. Vaccine 2001;19(30):4249-59; Veits J, Lüschow D, Kindermann K, Werner O, Teifke JP, Mettenleiter TC, et al. Deletion of the non-essential UL0 gene of infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) virus leads to attenuation in chickens, and UL0 mutants expressing influenza virus haemagglutinin (H7) protect against ILT and fowl plague. J Gen Virol 2003;84(12):3343-52]. However, protection against H5N1 HPAIV was not satisfactory. Therefore, a newly designed dUTPase-negative ILTV vector was used for rapid insertion of the H5-hemagglutinin, or N1-neuraminidase genes of a recent H5N1 HPAIV isolate. Compared to our previous constructs, protein expression was considerably enhanced by insertion of synthetic introns downstream of the human cytomegalovirus immediate-early promoter within the 5'-nontranslated region of the transgenes. Deletion of the viral dUTPase gene did not affect in vitro replication of the ILTV recombinants, but led to sufficient attenuation in vivo. After a single ocular immunization, all chickens developed H5- or N1-specific serum antibodies. Nevertheless, animals immunized with N1-ILTV died after subsequent H5N1 HPAIV challenge, although survival times were prolonged compared to non-vaccinated controls. In contrast, all chickens vaccinated with either H5-ILTV alone, or H5- and N1-ILTV simultaneously, survived without showing any clinical signs. Real-time RT-PCR indicated limited challenge virus replication after vaccination with H5-ILTV only, which was completely blocked after coimmunization with N1-ILTV. Thus, chickens can be protected from H5N1 HPAIV-induced disease by live vaccination with an attenuated hemagglutinin-expressing ILTV recombinant, and efficacy can be further increased by coadministration of an ILTV mutant expressing neuraminidase. Furthermore, chickens vaccinated with ILTV vectors can be easily differentiated from influenza virus-infected animals by the absence of serum antibodies against the AIV nucleoprotein.
Science and Technology
In age of pandemics, human and animal health intersect
12/3/08 Herald Tribune--Our nation voted for change in the last presidential election. The world community appears to approve. A strategy for fast-forwarding health care change is also receiving a heavy and favorable voter turnout globally in the scientific electorate. Unfortunately, very few in the general population are aware of this dynamic process and its great potential.
The "One Health Initiative" is a movement to forge co-equal, all inclusive communications and collaborations between physicians, veterinarians and other scientific-health related disciplines. This has been limited or absent for much of the 20th century.
When properly implemented, the sharing of scientific information will help protect and save millions of lives in present and future generations. The One Health concept is a worldwide strategy for expanding interdisciplinary interactions in all aspects of health care for humans and animals. The synergism achieved will accelerate biomedical research, enhance public health efficacy, expand the scientific knowledge base, and improve medical education and clinical care.
In the past two years, "One Health" has expanded exponentially in the scientific communities of the U.S. and many other countries. Nearly two dozen international organizations have endorsed the project, including the American Medical Association, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Society for Microbiology.
Several public health officials at the Florida State Department of Health have worked diligently to support and promote this endeavor. In fact, their division of environmental health publishes a quarterly One Health Newsletter online doh.state.fl.us/Environment/community/One_Health/OneHealth.html. This Web site has gained increasing attention.
This concept has worked with extraordinary synergistic results in the 19th and 20th centuries. Three examples are:
1. A physician and veterinarian research team in 1893, Drs. Theobald Smith and F.L. Kilbourne, discovered the cause of cattle fever, Babesia bigemina, and that it was being transmitted by ticks. This work helped set the stage for the discovery by Walter Reed and his colleagues of the transmission of yellow fever in humans.
2. The Ebola virus was identified as the cause of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in the 1970s through the collaboration of veterinarian Fred Murphy and physician Karl Johnson. These two made history by working closely together at the CDC on this and other topics. Hemorrhagic fever viruses are now designated by CDC as bioterrorism agents.
3. Rolf Zinkernagel (physician) and Peter Doherty (veterinarian) working together as immunologists, discovered how the immune system tells normal cells from virus-infected cells. For this, they received the 1996 Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine.
In the early 21st century, emergence of deadly diseases classified as zoonoses, i.e., diseases of animal origin transmissible to humans highlighted the need for "One Health." In fact, nearly 75 percent of recently emerging infectious diseases affecting humans are zoonoses. Examples are acquired immune deficiency syndrome, SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), West Nile virus and Avian Influenza H5N1. These present the urgent need for human and veterinary medicine to renew and increase collaborative efforts.
Other research on conditions such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, biomechanical devices and obesity offers golden opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations.
In 2006, Ronald M. Davis, then-president of the AMA, and AVMA president Roger Mahr struck up a unique liaison between their respective organizations. This resulted in adoption of a historic AMA One Health resolution in June 2007. Several other international health care and scientific organizations followed their lead.
An AVMA One Health task force recently formulated plans for implementing this life protecting/lifesaving strategy. The eventual formation of a "National One Health Commission" is being carefully considered. More information about this project is available on the One Health Initiative web site at onehealthinitiative.com.
Bruce Kaplan is a veterinarian who lives in Sarasota. He has held positions in public health with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an epidemiologist and the USDA's Office of Public Health and Science in Washington, D.C.
Conferences and Training
IMED 2009 Extends Deadline for submitting Abstract
12/2/08
ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases
Conference Location: Vienna, Austria
Dates: 13-16 Feb 2009; NEW abstract deadline 12 Dec 2008
Website: http://imed.isid.org
We are pleased to announce that we are able to extend the abstract deadline for IMED 2009 until 12 Dec 2008. This will allow the most timely and up-to-date abstracts to be presented at IMED.
Now is the time to submit your abstracts. Accepted abstracts may be presented as posters during 2 dedicated poster sessions, and selected abstracts will be presented in 3 platform sessions.
Topics for abstracts at IMED 2009 include:
* Animal reservoirs for emerging pathogens
* Emerging zoonoses
* Emerging vectorborne diseases in humans and animals
* Models of disease surveillance, detection and reporting
* Outbreak control
* Surveillance using informal sources
* Syndromic surveillance
* Regional disease surveillance
* Laboratory surveillance
* New pathogen discovery
* Avian influenza
* Agents of bioterrorism
* Antibiotic resistance
* Climate change
* Vaccines against emerging diseases
The program for IMED 2009 is nearly finalized, and we are pleased to announce an outstanding roster of plenary lectures and symposia. This meeting, to be held in Vienna, Austria from 13-16 Feb 2009, is being co-sponsored by ProMED-mail along with OIE, the European Commission, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the European CDC. This meeting follows the highly successful IMED 2007, which drew over 600 participants from more than 60 countries and at which more than 300 abstracts were presented.
IMED 2009 promises to bring together the public health community, scientists, health care workers, and other leaders in the field of emerging infectious diseases. The meeting will include poster presentations and oral presentations of submitted abstracts. Once again, this meeting will fully embrace ?one health? and welcomes the full participation of both the human and veterinary health sectors.
The conference will cover a wide range of emerging disease and surveillance issues including outbreak preparedness, prediction maps, climate change, emerging zoonoses, vaccines against emerging pathogens, and vectorborne diseases, along with many other topics in an exciting 3-day meeting.
IMED confirmed speakers include:
Barnett, Elizabeth (Boston University, USA)
Capua, Ilaria (Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Padova, Italy)
Cetron, Martin (CDC, USA)
Charrel, Remi (University Marseilles, France)
Duse, Adriano (NHLS and School of Pathology of the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa)
Ergonul, Onder (Marmara University, Altunizade, Turkey)
Fedorka-Cray, Paula (USDA-ARS Bacterial Epidemiology and Antimicrobial Resistance Research Unit, USA)
Formenty, Pierre (WHO, Switzerland)
Gotuzzo, Eduardo (Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru)
Hayes, Edward (Barcelona Center for International Health Research (CRESIB), Spain)
Karesh, William (Wildlife Conservation Society, USA) Kitron, Uriel (Emory University, USA)
Laxminaryan, Ramanan (Resources for the Future, USA)
LeFrancois, Thierry (Centre de Cooperation Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Developpement (CIRAD), Guadeloupe)
Leventhal, Alex (Public Health Services, Ministry of Health, Israel)
Lipkin, Ian (School of Public Health at Columbia University, USA)
Luby, Stephen (ICDDR,B, Dhaka, Bangladesh)
Lubroth, Juan (FAO, Italy)
MacLachlan, James (University of California, Davis, USA)
Marano, Nina (CDC, USA)
Margolis, Harold (International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, South Korea)
Markel, Howard (University of Michigan, USA)
Monath, Thomas, (KPCB, Menlo Park, CA, USA)
Polgreen, Philip (University Iowa, USA)
Reiter, Paul (Institut Pasteur, France)
Rosling, Hans (Karolinska Institutet and Gapminder Foundation, Sweden)
Setbon, Michel (University Marseilles, France)
Subbarao, Kanta (NIH, USA) Teo, Chong-Gee (CDC, USA)
Thompson, Dick (WHO, Switzerland) Torres, Jaime (Instituto de Medicina Tropical, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Venezuela)
Vallat, Bernard (OIE, France)
Wilde, Henry (Chulalongkorn University, Thailand)
Science and Technology
USDA FSIS Seeks Comments on Health Impact of Avian Influenza
12/3/08 Food Product Design--USDA?s Food Safety and Inspection Service is seeking public comments on a draft quantitative food safety risk assessment for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus from consumption of poultry products, shell eggs and egg products.
The risk assessment was designed to evaluate the relative effectiveness of strategies to reduce or prevent exposure to HPAI virus from consumption of poultry meat, shell eggs and egg products. It may also be used to target risk communication messages, identify and prioritize research needs, and provide a framework for coordinating efforts with stakeholders.
AI Research
DAI creates health unit
12/3/08 Washington Business Journal--DAI has launched a new business unit to focus on the health-related services.
The aim is to provide more organizational resources and to deliver a suite of health and development services to new and existing clients.
The Bethesda-based international development firm serves such clients as the World Bank, Gap Inc. and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
?We decided that rather than go at this at more or less an ad hoc way, we wanted to put focused resources on it,? said Jerry Martin, managing director of the new. ?For decades, DAI has been working in health, whether by providing veterinary services, helping prepare for and control disease outbreaks, improving the livelihoods of HIV/AIDS-affected populations, ensuring food safety, or providing cleaner water and a healthier environment.?
Martin added that there are six new DAI staff members working on the health sector initiative.
The company is actively scouting out a senior public health specialist with ?international public health experience,? said Martin.
He said that experience might include zoonotic diseases, or those that originated in the animal world and are transmissible to humans, like avian influenza and SARS.
The health team will work in areas complementary to its existing development programs, including animal health, food safety, and water and sanitation.
Regional Reporting and Surveillance
India: Egg exports to Gulf hit on N-E bird flu outbreak
12/2/08 The Hindu--The bird flu scare in the north-east has affected the table egg exports from Namakkal to a few Gulf nations once again. During the past month, egg export industry recovered as countries such as Muscat lifted ban on imports from India after the World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) declared India a bird flu-free country, according to a top official in National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC). ?As soon as the news of birdflu outbreak in India spread, Muscat rejected a consignment of eggs from Namakkal on Sunday,? the official said.
Namakkal exports around 15-20 lakh eggs to Muscat daily. Egg exporters in South India, mainly Namakkal ? the poultry hub ? who contribute nearly 90 per cent of exports, fear that their business may be hit. During every outbreak of bird flu in other States, the poultry export industry in Tamil Nadu incurs a loss of over Rs 500 crore.
?We are paying a heavy price every time avian flu outbreak is reported in far off States such as Maharashtra or Manipur. It is high time the Central and State Governments resorted to zoning and saved our businesses,? the NECC official said.
Relief to farmers
The development comes at a time when a continuous rise in egg price has brought some relief to the 800-odd poultry farmers in Namakkal who had gone through tough times for the last ten months. This includes fighting numerous issues including the ban on imports from India by West Asia in the wake of bird flu in Manipur and rising feed costs.
Starting with Rs 1.85 a piece in early October, the prices increased to a record Rs 2.40 a piece in November and are currently hovering at Rs 2.19 an egg.
The production cost of an egg shot up due to increased feed costs. Layer feed rate for the year 2008 (till October) was ruling at Rs 964.56 for 75 kg as against Rs 926.21 for the same period a year ago, data available with the National Egg Coordination Committee indicated.
Egg production from this poultry hub for the period under review increased marginally to 2.43 crore a day (2.39 crore).
Dip in maize price
A farmer told Business Line that although maize prices declined to Rs 817 a quintal, it was still higher than last year?s Rs 650-660.
?But this bullish trend in egg and broiler prices helped us to payback our loans/debts and resulted in a reasonable/better price realisation.?
Loss of over Rs 100-cr
The industry that has suffered a whopping loss of more than Rs 100 crore in the past 10 months had resumed exports to Gulf countries. Monthly shipments for the period under review stood at 8 crore this year as against 10 crore during the same period in 2007.
Similarly, broiler prices too posted an increase this year (till October) vis-À-vis last year.
With the increase in feed price, maize being the prime ingredient, broiler rates till October this year were ruling at Rs 47.50/kg as against Rs 43.24/kg.
Broiler feed prices touched a high of Rs 1,550 for 75 kg as against Rs 1,171. While cull birds ruled at Rs 41.35/kg as against Rs 34.79 in 2007.
AI Research
Bird flu makes mallards thin, study finds
12/2/08 Reuters--Avian flu viruses make mallard ducks thinner than other ducks, a finding that implies they do not spread the germs over long distances, researchers reported Tuesday. Their tests of thousands of ducks migrating through Sweden showed the viruses do affect the birds, contrary to conventional wisdom that the pathogens have no effect on them.
And, to their surprise, they found the birds only "shed," or release, virus for a few days, the researchers reported in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
"Mallard ducks are a main reservoir for low-pathogenic avian influenza virus in nature, yet surprisingly little is known about how infection affects these birds," Jonas Waldenstrom of Sweden's Kalmar University, Albert Osterhaus of Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam and colleagues wrote.
A reservoir is a species that hosts a virus without becoming ill, and thus serves to spread it. Avian flu viruses have most often been found in migratory waterfowl, especially mallard ducks.
"We analyzed 10,000 samples from migratory mallards in Sweden for presence of influenza virus and were able to demonstrate that infected birds were leaner than uninfected birds, and that weight loss was related to the amount of virus shed in their feces," Waldenstrom's team added.
"Although many mallard populations are migratory, the short virus shedding times (often less than a week) imply that individual birds are not long-distance dispersers of the virus on a continental scale."
There are hundreds of kinds of bird flu, and evidence suggests that human forms of influenza originate in birds. Low-pathogenic avian influenza strains generally have little effect, although the highly pathogenic forms can wipe out flocks in a matter of days.
Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza is currently affecting flocks in Asia, parts of Europe and Africa and experts fear it may mutate into a form that humans can catch and transmit easily.
If it does, it could kill millions. Even in its current hard-to-catch form, H5N1 has infected 387 people and killed 245 since 2003.
Researchers do not know precisely how it spreads, although migrating birds are prime suspects, as is the poultry trade.
Waldenstrom's team found that infection did not affect how fast or far the birds migrated.
On average, the ducks were infected eight days and spread the virus for just three of them in their droppings.
"The short virus shedding time suggests that individual mallards are less likely to spread the virus at continental or intercontinental scales," they wrote.
But they may stay longer in one place when they are infected -- something that needs to be studied, they added.
(Reporting by Maggie Fox, Editing by Anthony Boadle)
Quid Novi
Nigeria: Gombe reports prompt response to bird flu
12/2/08 Champion News--The information desk officer of the state bird flu, committee, Mr. Kassim Toro made the claim in an interview with the Daily Champion in Gombe. He said that it was the prompt response of the state government which purchased drugs used in fumigating the entire area that prevented a possible outbreak of bird flu in the state.
According to him, reports reaching him had earlier showed that over three months ago, a man from BCGA area of Gombe bought some ducks from the popular Dadin Kowa Market and that the ducks were traced to the Bayo market, Bornu state.
He said as soon as the ducks landed in Gombe, hundreds of other chickens, guinea fowls and other flying birds caught up with the flu and within six hours, thousands were reported dead.
He said it took the intervention of the state government which ordered the fumigation of the Dadin Kowa Market and the entire farm and BCGA that the epidemic was put under control.
He added that the exercise also included Dadin Kowa Dam, one of the wetland areas of the country reported to be a stopping point for different kinds of birds especially from Europe, which fly to the area yearly.
"Experts have discovered that the particular specie of the bird flu found in Gombe was taken to National Vet nary Research Institute (NVRI) Vom, Plateau state where it was discovered that the virus was more deadly than the common HN51 bird flu," Toro said.
