Avian flu threat?

[Helix]

Well if we did then we'd have the associated protein, unless the gene isn't expressed in any human.

[rakuenso]

Neuraminidase is a general enzyme thats responsible for removing sialic acid from mucoproteins, and seeing that we have both, why would we not have the protein? (unless your trying to simply state that proteins are a result of genes)

[Helix]

Neuraminidase is a general enzyme thats responsible for removing sialic acid from mucoproteins, and seeing that we have both, why would we not have the protein? (unless your trying to simply state that proteins are a result of genes)

 

I was saying if we have the gene there's a good chance we have the protein. We probably do have neuraminidase if we have the two things it regulates.

[rakuenso]

Actually we don't know that for a fact, genes aren't always expressed, so even if we did have the gene we wouldn't necessarily have a protein even if we have sialic acid and mucoproteins

[Helix]

Actually we don't know that for a fact, genes aren't always expressed, so even if we did have the gene we wouldn't necessarily have a protein even if we have sialic acid and mucoproteins

 

 

Right that's why I said "there's a good chance" rather than "it definitely will".

[Celeste22]

Update: Oct 22 2005

 

Response Plans Prepare for Avian Influenza Outbreak: Progress Made on Vaccine for Flu Strain

 

In the United States, health officials have extended flu surveillance to a year-round effort and are stockpiling pandemic flu vaccine against the virus currently circulating in Asia. Preliminary results from a federally funded vaccine study recently showed researchers are making progress on an avian influenza vaccine. In one part of the study, healthy adults who received a vaccination developed an immune response to the virus.

 

"It is very encouraging, because we are seeing responses in the volunteers that we feel indicates protection against (avian) influenza," said John Treanor, MD, principal investigator of the vaccine trial at the University of Rochester, where he is also a professor of medicine, microbiology and immunology. "So, we have gone from the point of vaccinating people to inducing immune response. That is a huge hurdle to jump over."

[Helix]

I saw a special on avian flu on the Science Channel. It seemed pretty pessimistic; Tamiflu is in short supply and doesn't work well anyway, we would never be able to control the outbreak, health officials would be overwhelmed etc.

 

I think that's a bit extreme, we would be hit but we'd survive. I believe they are catering to people's desire to be scared. But this is a real threat and needs to be taken seriously. Bush has been paying lip service by ordering a few vaccines but I haven't seen any real actions taken towards pandemic planning. I hope I'm wrong, but it seems as if only a few members of the CDC and the WHO actually care. he rest feign interest or are trying to capitalize on the fear people have of viral outbreaks.

 

Ahh, well...are we all going to die?

[Douglas]

Bush is spending 7 billion on preparations for a pandemic. The FEW vaccines are for a current strain of the flu.

 

The president is proposing a $7 billion plan to fight a possible pandemic, saying failure to act now could cost many U.S. lives.

http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=4056648&nav=menu7_2_8

[Helix]

I just read a pretty interesting article....sort of shakes things up.

 

Tamiflu Article

 

It basically says that there may be a new strain of H5N1 that is resistant to Tamiflu, the only known effective drug against it.

 

Fears have been raised over more evidence suggesting that the deadly H5N1 avian influenza can mutate into strains resistant to the frontline flu drug Tamiflu.

 

Two more patients with drug-resistant bird flu have been documented by researchers in Vietnam. The two patients' date=' of eight studied, died from H5N1 influenza A, despite treatment with Tamiflu (oseltamivir) having been started early in one of them. The first case of Tamiflu-resistant bird flu was reported in October 2005 .[/quote']

 

Needless to say, that changes things. Now those fear-mongers may have some more fodder. If this strain does mutate, the death toll will be far higher than expected.

 

There is good news though:

 

Although the case raised alarm' date=' some scientists noted at the time that in becoming resistant to Tamiflu, the H5N1 virus also seemed to become less virulent. In addition, ordinary human flu with such a mutation rarely goes on to cause a new infection in another person.

 

“Becoming resistant to this class of drugs seems to impose a fitness penalty on the virus,” Frederick Hayden of the University of Virginia, US, an expert in antiviral drugs, told New Scientist at the time.[/quote']

 

So maybe this is not such a bad thing? But either way this is bad because we have the normal strain and the resistant strain so no matter which turns out to be more virulent, we have to deal with it.