Flu vaccine production using tobacco leaves..

The race to stop the flu virus is on with scientists working round the clock to produce a safe,effective and readily available vaccine. In the fore front of the research is a biotech company,medicago that are making flu vaccines from tobacco leaves. Currently, vaccines are produced using a process that involves injecting small bits of flu genes into a chicken egg and allowing them to grow. The current method is slow and production process takes five or six months. Medicago, have a greenhouse where they are planting tobacco plant Nicotiana tabacum, better known as smoking tobacco. This Australian plant is native to the desert and has historically been used as a stimulant although it contains less nicotine than standard field tobacco for the purposes of vaccine production. The strong point of the plant is that it matures in just six weeks. The technology inoculates genetic material into the leaves which in turn produces flu-like particles containing antigens and this trigger immune responses. The safety level is high because the particles are not live flu viruses, hence chances of infection are minimal. Once the solution is inside the plant, the virus like particles spend a week growing, after a few days the plants’ leaves become mottled and discolored. At the end of a week, the leaves are picked off each plant by hand for processing into a bulk vaccine. Public reaction has been largely supportive as people like the idea of creating something positive from a plant with such negative stigma, and because , it helps that the vaccine extraction process leaves no residual nicotine. The new vaccines will even be vegan-friendly — some vegans currently avoid egg-based flu vaccines. According to the Nikkei Asian Review, The technique will be put into commercial use in fiscal 2018 or 2019. Mitsubishi Tanabe has all but finished verifying the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines in the U.S. and Canada. The inoculations are set to undergo final clinical trials in the U.S. by the end of this year. If the firm meets its profitability goals, it will consider expanding the project into Asia, according to company President Masayuki Mitsuka. Clinical trials are also being conducted for bird flu and H7 influenza vaccines produced from tobacco leaves. In addition, the company is developing vaccines for rotavirus and for rabies using the same technique.

Migrating birds may bring bird flu to North America.

Migrating birds may bring bird flu to North America,according to a report. Influenza is a virus that emerges periodically to cause epidemics in different birds or mammals, like the two types of canine flu now in North America and the recent feline influenza outbreak in New York City. The highly pathogenic influenza strain currently infecting wild birds and domestic poultry in several European countries could be transmitted to birds in North America as migratory flyways of some European and North American wild bird species overlap in the northern reaches of Canada, an expert on influenza viruses and the spread of the virus in animals . According to Colin Parrish, John M. Olin Professor of Virology at the Baker Institute for Animal Health in Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine, an expert on influenza viruses and the spread of the virus in animals, the strain circulating among birds in Europe is known as the H5N8 subtype and this particular virus is a highly pathogenic influenza strain that appears to be readily transferred into poultry flocks and other domesticated birds from wild birds. Migratory birds in Europe and in America normally follow separate north-south migratory pathways, and there is normally not much mixing between birds in each region, but there are areas where they come in contact. This virus seems to be quite transmissible, so there's a reasonable possibility that it could be picked up and brought over to the North American flyways. It looks like H5N8 is very effective at transferring from the wild birds into domestic poultry operations, so this raises a concern.

Growing Hunger for Brazilian Chicken as Bird Flu Spreads.

The bird flu outbreak sweeping across Asia and Europe means you may soon be eating more Brazilian chicken. The world’s top exporter has been untouched by the highly contagious virus that led to widespread culling of birds -- more than 30 million in South Korea alone. After some key importing nations banned poultry from infected countries, Brazil is expected to see further demand for its products. The avian influenza outbreak is also good news for other virus-free nations that can fill the supply gap, such as the U.S., which is the second-biggest exporter and mostly evaded contamination since cases escalated in October. Because migrating wild birds carry the disease, there’s a risk that it will keep spreading, Societe Generale SA said in a report earlier this month.continue

Avian Flu Outbreaks Raise Concerns About Possible Pandemic.

Avian Flu Outbreaks Raise Concerns About Possible Pandemic. U.K. officials confirmed a fifth area in the country has been hit with the H5N8 strain of the avian flu since December. The strain has been spread from wild birds to farmed poultry, but has yet to affect humans, according to the U.K. Department of the Environment. There have been more than 40 countries reporting outbreaks of different strains of the avian flu since last November, according to World Health Organization officials. With the new avian flu outbreaks popping up in recent months, health experts have been increasingly concerned that one or more of the various strains of avian flu could mutate, increasing the risk of a dangerous new flu that could spread quickly across the globe. Normally the virus spreads among birds, often transmitted long distances by wild birds that migrate. In rare cases people in close contact to the birds become ill and the virus rarely spreads from person to person. Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said the public health community is increasingly concerned that the virus could potentially mutate. "The concern always is that they could pick up a gene that permits that kind of flu to spread readily from person to person," Schaffner said. Currently "bird flu by itself cannot do that." However, Schaffner said in recent years the medical community has developed better surveillance technology to find new outbreaks more easily. On Monday, World Health Organization said they were on "high alert" due to the avian flu outbreaks and the possibility of mutation. During an address to the WHO executive board on Monday, WHO Director Margaret Chan explained one form of the virus first detected in humans in 2015 was created "by gene-swapping among four different viruses." She urged all countries to closely watch for avian flu cases in both birds and humans to stop any new easily transmitted strain of the virus from spreading. "We cannot afford to miss the early signals," Chan said. continue

New bird flu case reported in China.

New bird flu case reported in China. A new bird flu case today reported in Chinas Hunan province, taking the total number of human H7N9 avian influenza cases in the South Central province to 17 this year. H7N9 is a bird flu strain first reported to have infected humans in March 2013 in China The 67-year-old patient in Hengyang city, who was diagnosed with the flu, was critical, the Hunan provincial disease control and prevention centre said. He had come in contact with poultry and fell ill, the centre said. People who have had close contact with the patient have not shown symptoms of fever or coughing. Hunan has reported as many as 17 human H7N9 infections, including five fatalities this year, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. In addition to Hunan, human infections have also been reported in Guangdong, Guizhou, Hubei, Henan, Jiangxi and Shandong provinces and in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Macao. An early onset of this years human H7N9 virus, which is more active this winter, has resulted in more infections in Hunan and the whole country, Liu Fuqiang, an official with the Hunan disease control and prevention centre said. The public are advised to avoid direct contact with poultry and wear masks when symptoms such as headache, fever, coughing and chest congestion appear.At least 10 people have died from the virus since the start of the year, according to disease control centers in Henan, Guangdong and Hunan provinces. SOURCE.

Kenya, Rwanda ban poultry from Uganda over bird flu.

Kenya, Rwanda ban poultry from Uganda over bird flu.Kenyan and Rwandan authorities said Wednesday they had banned poultry products from neighbouring Uganda, where a virulent H5 strain of avian flu has broken out. "The government banned importation of poultry and poultry products from Uganda with immediate effect," said Kenya's agriculture cabinet secretary Willy Bett at a press conference. The move from Nairobi comes two days after Rwanda also blocked poultry imports. "Rwanda has put in place measures to prevent the disease. We have temporarily halted the import of poultry and poultry products," Christine Kanyandekwe from the country's agricultural department said Wednesday.continue

Uganda detects bird flu.

Uganda announced Sunday it had detected bird flu among migratory birds, without specifying whether it was the particularly virulent H5 strain detected this season in countries worldwide. The agriculture ministry said bird flu had been detected in two spots, one near Entebbe, on the banks of Lake Victoria, and another in the Masaka distict about 120 kilometres (75 miles) west of Kampala. Five domestic ducks and a hen in Masaka were also infected, leading authorities to call for all poultry to be kept inside to avoid further contagion from migratory birds,continue

China confirms one more human death from H7N9 bird flu.

A man in China's central Henan province has become the latest person reported to have died this winter from H7N9 bird flu, the state news agency Xinhua said on Saturday citing local health authorities. The 36-year-old roast duck salesman developed a fever and a cough around Dec. 25 in coastal Zhejiang province, near Shanghai, and returned to Henan in early January, Xinhua said. He was diagnosed with H7N9 on Jan. 10 and died the next day.continue

Backyard Birds Culled After Bird Flu Outbreak in Wales.

The Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales has confirmed Avian Influenza H5N8 in a backyard flock of chickens and ducks on a premises near Pontyberem, Carmarthenshire. Prior to confirmation it was decided to cull the birds on strong suspicion of disease. A 3 km Protection Zone and 10 km Surveillance Zone have been put in place around the infected premises, to limit the risk of the disease spreading and as part of the wider surveillance and disease control measures. The prevention zone across all of Wales, which requires all keepers of poultry and other captive birds to keep their birds indoors, or take appropriate steps to keep them separate, and protect them from wild birds, still remains in place, as does the temporary suspension on gatherings of poultry.

Genetic engineering unlocks new vaccine for Marek's disease.

Scientists at The Pirbright Institute have used genetic engineering to develop a more efficient and effective vaccine for Marek’s disease which could pave the way for a new generation of poultry disease vaccines. The Marek's disease vaccine (MDV) is currently controlled by vaccination and over 20 billion vaccine doses are administered worldwide each year. Turkey herpes virus (known as HVT), is widely used in the development of avian vaccines as a method of delivering elements of avian pathogens (disease causing agents), into birds to create the immune response that protects them against disease. The technologies currently available for creating HVT recombinant vaccines are difficult and time consuming to use, however. In the case of Marek’s disease, the existing methods also hinder the level of protection the vaccines can offer. Advances in technology have facilitated the development of a new gene editing technique called CRISPR/Cas9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Palindromic Repeats/ associated Cas9), which enables greater speed and accuracy in targeting, cutting and editing gene sequences. This technique was used by Dr Yongxiu Yao, to genetically modify HVT; inserting part of the Marek’s disease virus into it to generate a completely new genetically modified (GM) vaccine, which is capable of protecting against the most dangerous strains of the virus. Dr Yao said, “This was a great opportunity to create a new generation of vaccines. HVT is widely used in the production of a variety of avian disease vaccines and genetically engineering it in this way has unlocked its potential to protect against all strains of Marek’s disease virus, as well as other dangerous avian viruses such as bird flu, which is also a danger to humans.

A strain of bird flu detected in Ireland.

A strain of bird flu has been found in Ireland. Tests on a wild duck from Co Wexford confirmed the presence of avian influenza subtype H5N8, the Department of Agriculture has confirmed.The bird, a widgeon, was found alive but unable to fly on December 28, in Wexford town.No infection of a human has ever been recorded by H5N8, however it presents a serious concern for farmers. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre said it can cause serious disease in poultry and other birds.The department said the detection was not unexpected, as there had been infections of a "highly pathogenic" variant detected in Great Britain in the last two weeks. Last week, Agriculture Minister Michael Creed introduced regulations under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 requiring the compulsory housing of poultry as a result of the increased threat. Further tests are being carried out to determine whether the virus found in Ireland is the same highly pathogenic strain that is currently present in Great Britain and mainland Europe. continue

Germany culls 77,000 poultry as bird flu found on farms.

Germany culling some 77,000 poultry as bird flu found on farms The culling of about 77,000 turkeys, chickens and ducks is underway after bird flu of the highly contagious H5N8 strain was found on farms in a major poultry production region in the north German state of Lower Saxony. On three farms where H5N8 was found and three others which had contact with them the culling of 55,000 birds was started over the Christmas weekend and should be completed on Tuesday, the Lower Saxony agriculture ministry said in a statement. The contagious H5N8 strain has been found in more than 500 wild birds in Germany in recent weeks. Outbreaks on farms have been rare after the government introduced tough sanitary rules to prevent infection by wild birds, including orders to keep poultry indoors in high-risk regions. Several European countries and Israel have found cases of H5N8 bird flu in the past few weeks and some ordered poultry flocks be kept indoors to prevent the disease spreading. France has widened high-risk restrictions to the entire country after the detection of several cases of the H5N8 strain. South Korea has mobilized its armed forces to help in its biggest-ever poultry cull as the spread of a highly contagious strain bird flu continued, with another 1.6 million birds ordered to be destroyed in affected areas. more

Bird flu strikes a veterinarian in cat shelter in New York.

A vet at a New York City animal shelter where cats were infected with a strain of bird flu has also been infected. Although the vet only had mild illness from the virus which was short lived and has resolved completely. The bird flu strain affecting cats in the New York shelter was reported earlier here and the twist to the story is that bird flu rarely infects cats but this strain defiled that and the same strain also infected the veterinarian who had been testing the sick cats, giving him prolonged contact with them. People can and do catch flu from animals — and vice-versa. Pigs commonly both catch flu from people and transmit it. The ongoing occasional human cases of H5N1 bird flu and H7N2 bird flu are traced to poultry markets. The influenza virus is of public health concern because of the ability to mutate and possibility of re-assortment between animal flu and human flu producing a new strain that can be extremely dangerous,although this H7N2 has not recombined . Vets, doctors and other scientists keep an eye on bird flu because it can and does spread to people and has the potential to cause epidemics. So far, H7N2 hasn't. It has only ever infected a few people. . more

Bird flu alert as duck in Llanelli found to be infected.

Bird flu alert as duck in Llanelli found to be infected.The first finding of an infectious strain of avian flu in a UK wild bird has been confirmed in Carmarthenshire. The H5N8 strain found in a wild duck at an estuary near the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust (WWT) Llanelli Wetland Centre is the same which hit a turkey farm in Lincolnshire last week. The centre said it had closed "as a precautionary measure".Rural Affairs Secretary Lesley Griffiths said the risk to humans was "very low" and poultry was safe to eat.The Welsh Government said it was the first time the H5N8 strain had been found in a wild bird in the UK. Restrictions were imposed across Britain to keep birds indoors after the disease came to light across Europe, the Middle East and north Africa.On Tuesday, the measures were tightened to ban any indoor gatherings of birds at events such as livestock fairs, auctions and bird shows.more

Kano advises farmers to report outbreak of bird flu.

Kano advises farmers to report outbreak of bird flu.Kano State Government on Thursday advised poultry farms in the state to report outbreak of bird flu to the appropriate authority for prompt action. Dr Shehu Bawa, the Director, Veterinary services, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano.“Prompt and timely report on the outbreak of the disease is very important as it will enable government to take appropriate action,” he said. He advised farmers against taking any fowl to their farms without proper disinfection.“Farmers must take bio-security of their farms serious to ensure the safety of their birds,” Bawa said. He said the state government had taken proactive measures to ensure that the resurfacing of the disease in one of the farms in the state did not spread to other farms.“We are making efforts to check the spread of the disease, which has so far affected only one of the farms in the state.“ Bawa said the government had directed the ministry of Agriculture to submit request for disinfectants and other drugs needed for the control of the disease.continue

The role of backyard poultry in the spread of avian influenza.

The role of backyard poultry in the spread of avian influenza is an important factor that cannot be overlooked. Migratory birds are linked to the avian influenza virus,and backyard poultry are the most vulnerable to infection because of close proximity of contact with wild bird and migratory birds. The need to house birds are very important,owners of backyard flock are advised to ensure strict bio-security protocols ,keep feeders and drinkers inside and do not leave feed exposed.Poultry farmers needs to play a part to stop migratory birds from infecting farmed birds. There is actually a circulating foci between the bird flu virus and migratory birds,the only way to break the link and stop the spread of virus to farms is to ensure biosecurity compliance, keep back yard poultry housed and codon off wild birds.

Rare bird flu strain infects cats.

A rare strain of the avian influenza virus has infected 45 cats in Manhattan and there are concerns that the virus may have spread to recently adopted felines.The virus is thought to pose a low risk to humans but health officials are concerned that it could have infected additional cats that have already been adopted from Animal Care Center’s Manhattan shelter. "Although this strain of the avian flu has only resulted in mild to moderate illness in some cats located in one shelter, we have begun to test staff and people in close contact with the cats out of an abundance of caution," said First Deputy Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot. "We will continue to actively monitor all people involved and adapt our response accordingly." One older infected cat, who had underlying health problems, died, officials said. The Health Department and ACC are working on a quarantine facility to house the cats while the Manhattan shelter is disinfected. They urge anyone who adopted Manhattan shelter cats in the past month to call the Health Department for care instructions and to keep their cat separated from other animals if they show signs of persistent cough, lip smacking, runny nose, and fever. Officials are also advising these pet owners to call the Health Department if they develop fever with a sore throat, fever with a cough, or red, inflamed eyes.The outbreak marks the first time the virus - H7N2 has been detected and transmitted among domestic cats. It is unknown how the cats contracted the virus.The shelter has tested 20 dogs and none have contracted this virus. Testing of other animals, including rabbits and guinea pigs, is ongoing. According to the Health Department, there have been only two documented human cases of this type of avian influenza and both patients recovered.culled from http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/rare-bird-flu-strain-infects-45-cats-single-manhattan-shelter-article-1.2912367.

Campylobacter and Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

Campylobacter and Guillain-Barré Syndrome, this seems strange and fictitious but its true and causing havoc. The truth is many people cannot link eating food or drinking milk with possibility of paralysis. Campylobacter jejuni is in a genus of bacteria that is among the most common causes of bacterial infections in humans worldwide and commonly found in animal feces.It is the major cause of gastroenteritis in man and has been linked to Guillain-Barré Syndrome. Guillain-Barre syndrome is a rare condition in which a person immune system attacks the nerves, leading to muscle weakness and even paralysis.This cause of this condition is unknown, but it’s typically triggered by an infectious illness, such as the stomach flu or a lung infection. The signs of C.jejuni infection include abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, and malaise and diarrhea can vary in severity from loose to bloody stools. Campylobacter jejuni is commonly associated with poultry as it naturally colonizes the digestive tract of many bird species hence contamination of carcass during processing is a major route of infection in man. C. jejuni has also been identified in cattle gastrointestinal tract,the major form of distribution is drinking contaminated water or unpasteurized milk. Contaminated food is a major source of infections, where poorly prepared meat and poultry are the primary source of the bacteria. Surveys show that 20 to 100% of retail chickens are contaminated, this is not a surprise as many healthy chickens carry these bacteria in their intestinal tracts. Raw milk is also a source of infections, the bacteria are often carried by healthy cattle and by flies on farms. Unchlorinated water may also be another source of infections but properly cooking chicken, pasteurizing milk, and chlorinating drinking water kill the bacteria. This is one of the reason to stop drinking raw milk , stop eating poorly cooked chicken or meat and using contaminated water. This is a story of how a healthy nurse became a quadriplegic because of c. jejuni read

Iraq has ‘chronic’ bird flu problem

Iraq has ‘chronic’ bird flu problem: Iraq’s inability to tackle the cause of bird flu means the deadly virus  is likely to spread across neighbouring countries, according to an expert on animal diseases.

Ireland needs to be ‘proactive’ in preventing bird flu outbreaks.

Ireland needs to be ‘proactive’ in preventing bird flu outbreaks.Ireland needs to take a proactive approach to preventing bird flu outbreaks, according to the Chairman of the IFA Poultry Committee Nigel Renaghan. His comments come after a prevention zone was put in place in England on Tuesday, December 6, and is set to remain in place for the next 30 days. Under the new measures in England, keepers of poultry and other captive birds are now required to keep their birds indoors, or take appropriate steps to keep them separate from wild birds. Renaghan believes similar measures must be put in place to protect the poultry sector in Ireland. “This is the critical period, if we put in place measures for 30 days and hold off the disease, we can then sit down and reassess the situation,” he said.As the Chairman of the IFA Poultry Committee has previously said, organic and free range birds are most at risk of contracting the disease due to being outside. He believes that these birds should be housed in-doors to prevent contact with wild birds, while all poultry keepers should pay special attention to their bio-security measures. “Preventative measures must be put in place to protect poultry producers, as an outbreak of the disease in Ireland could inhibit the ability to export,” he said.In the first week of December, 44 outbreaks of the disease were reported in seven EU Member States to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). Outbreaks were reported in France, Poland, the Netherlands, Romania, Germany, Austria and Finland in a mixture of wild birds and commercial poultry flocks. In total 44,292 birds died or had to be destroyed due to the disease, while both protection and surveillance zones were set up around large poultry farms that were infected by the highly pathogenic disease. Under the preventive measures put in place in England all domestic chickens, hens, turkeys and ducks should be housed immediately, according to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). As well as this all bird keepers must now take extra biosecurity steps, such as minimizing direct and indirect contact between poultry and wild birds.Bird keepers are also advised to take all reasonable precautions to avoid the transfer of contamination between premises, including cleansing and disinfection of equipment, vehicles and footwear.more