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Posted: 23-May-2009 04:43 hrs
A Russian laboratory worker handles a vial containing the swine flu virus H1N1strain in St. Petersburg on May 13, 2009. The A(H1N1) swine flu strains spreading across the world react to antibodies in the same way, boosting the chances of a common vaccine for all of them, a study released in the United States Friday said.
The various A(H1N1) swine flu strains spreading across the globe react to antibodies in the same way, boosting the chances of a common vaccine for all of them, a study released Friday in the United States said.
The study, published in Science, says the virus has probably been circulating unnoticed in pig populations for some time, and calls for more careful monitoring of swine populations.
It confirms that the new pathogen originated with pigs, and is a mix of a previously known virus that already contained avian, swine and human genetic segments with two other genes from Eurasian swine viruses never detected outside Asia before.
Understanding the origins of the novel A(H1N1) virus could help scientists prevent the pathogen from emerging in a new -- and potentially more virulent -- form, the researchers said.
"These findings are critically important for our global public health," said Nancy Cox, chief of the Influenza Division of the US National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases in Atlanta Georgia and a co-author of the study.
"The new A(H1N1) viruses are antigenically similar, that is, they react to antibodies in a similar way," she told journalists in a teleconference.
"This makes our job of coming up with a reference candidate vaccine virus much, much easier," she said.
Cox cautioned, however, that the swine flu was very different than seasonal flu, meaning that vaccines designed for the latter probably would not work against both.
The number of confirmed swine flu infections worldwide topped 11,000 Friday, including more than 85 deaths, according to the World Health Organisation.
The US Centers for Disease Control reported 6,552 probable and confirmed cases in the United States, but said the real tally was probably 20 times higher.
"This is the tip of the iceberg -- We estimate more than 100,000 cases," Anne Schuchat, the CDC's Interim Deputy Director for Science and Public Health, told journalists.
While the rate of new US infections had tapered off over all, the virus remained "very, very active" in some regions, she said.
"We should expect to see more cases, more hospitalisations, and perhaps more deaths in the coming weeks," she said.
She cautioned Americans to take precautions over long holiday weekend, and especially to not travel with sick family members. The virus could continue to circulate in the summer "and come back in the worst way in the fall," she said.
For the study, scientists sequenced the genomes of more than 70 samples of the novel H1N1 flu, 17 from Mexico, and 59 from 12 states in the United States.
The study provides the first detailed analysis of the pathogen's genetic and antigenic -- how it reacts to antibodies -- characteristics.
It is still unclear whether the new flu entered the human population directly from pigs, or whether there was an intermediate host, Cox said. — AFP
From TODAYOnline.com, Health – Weekend, 23-May-2009; see the source article here.
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Posted: 23-May-2009 04:43 hrs
A Russian laboratory worker handles a vial containing the swine flu virus H1N1strain in St. Petersburg on May 13, 2009. The A(H1N1) swine flu strains spreading across the world react to antibodies in the same way, boosting the chances of a common vaccine for all of them, a study released in the United States Friday said. The various A(H1N1) swine flu strains spreading across the globe react to antibodies in the same way, boosting the chances of a common vaccine for all of them, a study released Friday in the United States said.
The study, published in Science, says the virus has probably been circulating unnoticed in pig populations for some time, and calls for more careful monitoring of swine populations.
It confirms that the new pathogen originated with pigs, and is a mix of a previously known virus that already contained avian, swine and human genetic segments with two other genes from Eurasian swine viruses never detected outside Asia before.
Understanding the origins of the novel A(H1N1) virus could help scientists prevent the pathogen from emerging in a new -- and potentially more virulent -- form, the researchers said.
"These findings are critically important for our global public health," said Nancy Cox, chief of the Influenza Division of the US National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases in Atlanta Georgia and a co-author of the study.
"The new A(H1N1) viruses are antigenically similar, that is, they react to antibodies in a similar way," she told journalists in a teleconference.
"This makes our job of coming up with a reference candidate vaccine virus much, much easier," she said.
Cox cautioned, however, that the swine flu was very different than seasonal flu, meaning that vaccines designed for the latter probably would not work against both.
The number of confirmed swine flu infections worldwide topped 11,000 Friday, including more than 85 deaths, according to the World Health Organisation.
The US Centers for Disease Control reported 6,552 probable and confirmed cases in the United States, but said the real tally was probably 20 times higher.
"This is the tip of the iceberg -- We estimate more than 100,000 cases," Anne Schuchat, the CDC's Interim Deputy Director for Science and Public Health, told journalists.
While the rate of new US infections had tapered off over all, the virus remained "very, very active" in some regions, she said.
"We should expect to see more cases, more hospitalisations, and perhaps more deaths in the coming weeks," she said.
She cautioned Americans to take precautions over long holiday weekend, and especially to not travel with sick family members. The virus could continue to circulate in the summer "and come back in the worst way in the fall," she said.
For the study, scientists sequenced the genomes of more than 70 samples of the novel H1N1 flu, 17 from Mexico, and 59 from 12 states in the United States.
The study provides the first detailed analysis of the pathogen's genetic and antigenic -- how it reacts to antibodies -- characteristics.
It is still unclear whether the new flu entered the human population directly from pigs, or whether there was an intermediate host, Cox said. — AFP
From TODAYOnline.com, Health – Weekend, 23-May-2009; see the source article here.
----------
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