Norwegian scientists raise concerns about mutated form of swine flu

[HuckleB]

Source: Washington Post

Scientists in Norway have identified a mutated form of the swine flu virus that is raising concern because it was found in two patients who died of the flu and a third who was severely ill with the disease, officials announced Friday.

In a statement, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health said the mutation "could possibly make the virus more prone to infect deeper in the airways and thus cause more severe disease," such as pneumonia.

Scientists have analyzed about 70 viruses from confirmed Norwegian swine flu cases and found the mutation in only those three patients, Geir Stene-Larsen, the institute's director general, said in the statement.

"Based on what we know so far, it seems that the mutated virus does not circulate in the population, but might be a result of spontaneous changes which have occurred in these three patients," the statement said.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/20/AR2009112001820.html

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Just a wait and observe some more situation, for now, but it does highlight why public health officials have put so many resources into H1N1.

More on this matter from the WHO:

Public health significance of virus mutation detected in Norway
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/notes/briefing_20091120/en/

[Rosa Luxemburg]

1. Yikes!

that's worrying especially if the mutation is taking place within the patient.

[FirstLight]

3. if a virus replicates within a patient,

and i think that is the only place they replicate,

then it would be normal for virus to mutate 'within the patient'



But if the patient carried a gene or enzyme that made him/her more 'likely' to mutate the virus - or that CAUSED the virus to mutate a certain way, then it would be like a natural selection sort of thing, right?

[librechik]

2. I read something about the 1918 flu,it was different from the seasonal flu (la grippe) everyone knew

the main difference was that it was hemorrhagic, i.e., bleeding lungs.

Double yikes.

[HuckleB]

6. It was a bird flu that jumped directly to humans, apparently.

[demigoddess]

7. 1918 was a swine flu

that is why they are all scared about this one.

[HuckleB]

15. I've read different information.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/10/1005_051005_bird_flu.html

[Spider Jerusalem]

25. ......

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090430111640.htm

[mike_c]

26. you're both correct in a sense....

There is evidence for both paths, i.e. directly from birds to humans, but also to humans via pigs. The long-standing epidemiological theory was that the 1918 H1N1 variant recombined in pigs with strains that were human virulent before becoming pandemic in humans. If I'm not mistaken, the more recent genomic data are at least consistent with the possibility of direct mutation in birds allowing increased human virulence without recombination in pigs, but that does not rule out the swine route-- it only makes the avian to human route plausible. Other data suggest that the disease reservoired in pigs regardless, making it nearly impossible to say for sure whether the passage through pigs was necessary, i.e. for recombination.

[thereismore]

10. like 1918. nt

[Kingofalldems]

4. That's it. I'm staying home.

[glinda]

8. That is what I try to do.

[AtheistCrusader]

12. Not going to do you any good if you don't have a good month's supply of food on hand.

and heat and light. After all, we get a 1919-like outbreak, nobody is going to be going to work until it dies down.

[aquart]

5. This is what they were afraid of.

My question is, will the current H1N1 vaccine offer any protection against the mutation?

[thereismore]

11. If the mutation happens after infection, it doesn't have to. nt

[TZ]

13. Yes.

Its been shown that people that had Swine Flu in the 1970's have some immunity to H1N1 (thats why younger people are in the high risk category). It might lose some of its effectiveness but it should confer at least partial immunity to even a mutated viri.

[kestrel91316]

9. Uh oh. I'm getting my H1N1 shot this weekend, but it's anybody's guess as

to whether the vaccine strain offers cross-protection with more virulent strains.......

I would have to shut my practice down for the safety of my feline patients if I got the garden variety H1N1, because 1 in 3 known feline cases died. That's bad enough. We DON'T need a deadlier strain.

[TZ]

14. I'm sure it does

Because the Swine flu outbreak from the 70's was a much different viri and people who had that (or the shot) have been shown to have at least partial immunity. Also, the way this vaccine was manufactured, the part of the viri that is used is one of the areas of a virus that is LEAST likely to mutate.

[Mojorabbit]

21. I had it in the 70s as a graduate nurse and also last month so

there may or may not be immunity in my opinion. My hubby who is a family physician had it then and now too.

[harun]

16. Cue, Don't fear the reaper.....

[Javaman]

18. I saw The Stand too. LOL

I preferred the book.

but I have to admit the opening sequence of the tv movie was pretty damn cool. Too bad the rest of it wasn't as good.

[alfredo]

20. A waterless Flood.

A Margaret Atwood reference from her "The Year of The Flood."
It builds upon "Oryx and Crake."

[Javaman]

17. This is almost like the beginning of a good sci-fi novel...

The scene:

Int: bunker - Unknown time

A small filthy bunker, people of various origins and nationalities lines the walls, sleeping, coughing and sneezing. Overhead florescent lights flicker spasmatically, casting a strobe of grotesque shadows. A baby weeps softly. A cluster of old men stand near an open fire pit. The smoke curls out through an old rusted exhaust fan.

Old man #1: Oh you must be the new guy. Glad you checked. We need some new blood.

New Guy: what happened here?

Old man #2 eyes the new guy suspiciously.

Old man #1: Calm down, Jack, he's that deep space astronaut, he's really the new guy around here.

(to the new guy)

Old man #1: (cont'd)
Pull up a box, I have a story to weave...It all started 'bout 10 years ago, in Sweden...

Old man #2: Norway!

Old man #1: that's right, Norway...

[KitSileya]

19. yup, it's getting bad

Half our senior class is out sick right now - not all with swine flu, of course, but still. Many of the teachers have kids sick at home, and we're using anti-bac like crazy. At least people are learning to wash their hands now! if that habit sets, we might reduce the common cold, at least.

[HuckleB]

24. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

Oh, and sleep might help, too.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

22. But many here said it was all propoganda.

[HuckleB]

23. It's not propaganda.

It's a random death sentence handed down by the great power that rules over all. Mutations are clearly a part of the plan.

[mike_c]

27. they're fools....

Influenza is like a loaded gun. It's ALWAYS dangerous, but especially to the ill informed.

[Devil_Fish]

28. in other words, every thing is proceeding as planned. NT

[MilesColtrane]

29. This update is disturbing.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-11-20-drug-resistant-swineflu_N.htm

Drug (Tamiflu) Resistant H1N1 Found in U.S. and U.K.

Epidemic experts say they are investigating the apparent spread of Tamiflu-resistant swine flu virus among four patients at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., and five in a hospital in Wales.
These clusters appear to be the first in which a virus resistant to the antiviral Tamiflu, a mainstay of flu treat, has spread from person to person, researchers said Friday.

If Tamiflu-resistant virus spreads widely, swine flu will become tougher to treat and may cost more lives, says Duke's Daniel Sexton, who is leading the hospital's investigation.

Doctors say investigations of the two hospital outbreaks are underway, but the preliminary genetic evidence suggests that the virus spread among patients at the hospitals.

_________________________________________________

There was definite person to person transmission of the this new strain in Wales. That hasn't been proven in the N.C. cases yet.

The good news is that all of these victims were all immunocompromised, meaning this mutation isn't more virulent than what's going around now.

[HuckleB]

30. Indeed.

Thanks for sharing.