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Re: Bird Flu USA RELATED MATERIAL
Interesting seeing this subject here. I belong to a International Bio-Security Committee head up by vets across the world. Just this week I brought up High Fever Illness in China...see below for the article I shared
High CFR in High Fever Illness in Eastern China
Since the middle of July 2006, an unknown pig disease has occurred in
the neighboring provinces of Anhui, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Hunan and
Henan, and other areas. Already 40 percent of pigs have died from
infection. As of mid-August this disease had already spread to parts
of Hubei. Conditions are relatively serious. According to reports,
the pig disease is characterized by high fever, sudden onset, rapid
transmission, and high mortality rate.
Pig "high fever illness" is appearing in all areas in our province
[Zhejiang] other than Zhoushan City. There are more than 66 000 ill
pigs and already more than 11 000 have died. Since July, pig "high
fever illness" has appeared in one village after the other in
Jiangshan. Symptoms are elevated body temperature, redness on the
body surface, and cough. Ears turn light blue in a minority of pigs.
The mortality rate among sucklings and weaned pigs is especially high.
I hope that the Chinese authorities are carefully considering the
possibility of Swine Influenza usually caused by H1N1, H1N2, or H3N2
in Asia. Although Swine Influenza does not normally cause very high
mortality (i.e. only 2-3 percent die when the disease is endemic), a
new influenza strain could cause high mortality in swine, just as it
would in humans. Therefore, it is important we find out exactly what
is causing this undefined, undiagnosed disease over large areas of
China. - Mod.PC]
The above excerpts from the latest Promed report on the swine
outbreak in China, as well as the final comment, are cause for
concern. The failure to diagnose this widespread and fatal illness
is curious. As noted in the commentary, the symptoms certainly do
not exclude swine influenza, and the description of the light blue
ears sounds remarkably like combs turning blue in H5N1 infected
poultry. Although H5N1 is not directly mentioned in the commentary,
there is data out of China supporting "a new influenza strain."
H5N1 in swine in China has been reported previously. Initial reports
were on isolates from Fujian ands Shenzhen provinces. These isolates
were most closely related to "older" H5N1 isolates from China which
were not associated with human cases. Similarly, the H5N1 infections
were not linked to a high mortality or easy transmission.
However, more recent isolates from Guangdong and Anhui provinces are
more diverse and also have a curious history. The sequences from all
8 gene sequences were placed on deposit at GenBank on April 1, 2006.
A month later all 40 sequences were "removed at the submitter's
request because the sequence could not be confirmed". However, the
sequences can still be accessed (see links below) and they have
evidence of recombination, especially the Anhui sequences, with wild
bird H5N1 sequences in China (tree sparrows in Henan amd migratory
ducks in Jiangxi). These wild bird sequences are more closely
related to the H5N1 found in human cases.
The interaction between H5N1 in swine and H5N1 in migratory birds is
cause for concern. The Qinghai strain has PB2 E627K and has been
isolated from human cases in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Iraq, and
Djibouti. Infection of swine can lead to the accumulation of
mammalian polymorphisms, which can lead to more efficient infection
in swine and humans.
The most recent H5N1 sequences from swine in China are the retracted
sequences from 2003/2004. Information on 2006 sequences and more
detail on diagnosing the "high fever illness", would be useful.
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