Egypt: H5N1 Isolated In Donkeys

 

 

 

# 4498

 

 

The ability of the H5N1 bird flu virus to jump species has been well documented over the past few years. While its natural host is aquatic waterfowl, we’ve seen H5N1 infections in cats (including tigers), dogs,  martens, civets, and of course humans.

 

Researchers have successfully infected cattle with the H5N1 virus, along with ferrets and mice for testing.

 

Viruses generally adapt to a fairly narrow range of species.  Horse viruses generally attack equines, and not say, cats and dogs.   Cat viruses tend to attack felines, and not birds.   Many bird viruses only infect avian species. 

 

The species that a virus will infect is known as its host range.  And while usually limited, it isn't always the case.  Rabies is a good example of a virus that can infect a wide host of species.

 

The H5N1 virus continues to surprise in this regard, showing up in an increasingly wider range of non-avian hosts.

 

Today, in the Journal of Biomedical Science, we have the first report that I’m aware of showing the isolation of the H5N1 virus in Donkeys.

 

A hat tip to Treyfish on FluTrackers for posting an article that led me to this study.

 

 

 

 

Isolation and characterization of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus subtype H5N1 from donkeys

Ahmed S Abdel-Moneim , Ahmad E Abdel-Ghany  and Salama AS Shany

Journal of Biomedical Science 2010, 17:25doi:10.1186/1423-0127-17-25

Published:
14 April 2010

Abstract (provisional)

Background

The highly pathogenic H5N1 is a major avian pathogen that crosses species barriers and seriously affects humans as well as some mammals. It mutates in an intensified manner and is considered a potential candidate for the possible next pandemic with all the catastrophic consequences.

Methods

Nasal swabs were collected from donkeys suffered from respiratory distress. The virus was isolated from the pooled nasal swabs in specific pathogen free embryonated chicken eggs (SPF-ECE). Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and sequencing of both haemagglutingin and neuraminidase were performed. H5 seroconversion was screened using haemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay on 105 donkey serum samples.

Results

We demonstrated that H5N1 jumped from poultry to another mammalian host; donkeys. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the virus clustered within the lineage of H5N1 from Egypt, closely related to 2009 isolates. It harboured few genetic changes compared to the closely related viruses from avian and humans. The neuraminidase lacks oseltamivir resistant mutations. Interestingly, HI screening for antibodies to H5 haemagglutinins in donkeys revealed high exposure rate.

Conclusions

These findings extend the host range of the H5N1 influenza virus, possess implications for influenza virus epidemiology and highlight the need for the systematic surveillance of H5N1 in animals in the vicinity of backyard poultry units especially in endemic areas.

 

There is a link to a provisional PDF file HERE, but as of this writing, the link returns an error.   Hopefully the entire report will be online soon.

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Mixing Vessels For Influenza

 

 

 

# 4228

 

 

My thanks to Helen Branswell for alerting me (via her Twitter feed) to this article in The Economist about research conducted by two scientists at the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research on which animal species are likely to contract different types of influenza.

 

 

Influenza and wildlife

Mix and match

Jan 7th 2010

From The Economist print edition

Which animal species are most likely to get flu?

Science Photo Library

What, me?

THE scientific value of zoos is sometimes called into question, but Mark Schrenzel and Bruce Rideout, two experts on wildlife diseases who work at San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research, have just shown the value of having a wide range of animals to hand for study. They have been looking at which species might act as reservoirs for influenza viruses and—worse, from the human point of view—which might act as “mixing vessels” in which new strains of virus are generated.

(Continue . . . )

 

New strains of influenza come about from reassortment, or the mixing and matching of genetic material between two compatible flu strains in a shared host. 

 

 

While any host (human, swine, avian) could produce a reassorted virus, hosts (like pigs) that are susceptible to a wider range of viruses are thought to be more likely to serve as an efficient mixing vessel.

 

 

Human adapted influenza have an RBD - Receptor Binding Domain (the area of its genetic sequence that allows it to attach to, and infect, host cells) that `fit’ the receptor cells commonly found in the human upper respiratory tract; the alpha 2,6 receptor cell.  

 

Avian adapted flu viruses bind preferentially to the alpha 2,3 receptor cells found in the gastrointestinal tract of birds. 

 

While there are some alpha 2,3 cells deep in the lungs of humans, for an influenza to be successful in humans, it needs to bind to the a 2,6 receptor cell.  

 

 

(Very Simplified Illustration of RBDs)

 

Some mammalian hosts (like pigs) have both types of receptor cells, and therefore, increase the range of influenza viruses to which they are susceptible.   And that, in turn, increases the odds that they could host two different viruses at the same time, and help facilitate a reassortment of two flu viruses into a new hybrid.

 

Drs. Schrenzel and Rideout at the San Diego Zoo have examined 60 different species of small mammals, and have determined that several carry the type of receptor cells (a2,3) favored by the H5N1 avian flu virus; including opossums, the Arctic Fox, and the Chinese wolf.

 

Additionally, we’ve seen H5N1 infections among dogs, cats, civets, raccoons, martens, and – of course – humans.   And researchers have successfully infected cattle with the H5N1 virus, along with ferrets and mice for testing.

 

Over the years, scientists have openly wondered about possible mammalian reservoirs of the virus, which could help explain how the virus can be reintroduced to an area after massive poultry cullings have taken place.  

 

The list of potential hosts is likely to continue to grow.

 

Schrenzel and Rideout have also identified a handful of small carnivores that carry both the a2,3 and a2,6 receptor cells, making them potential mixing vessels.   These include the Persian leopard and the North American striped skunk.

For more on mammalian and avian hosts for influenza, you wish to revisit these blogs. 

 

Japan: Bird Flu Antibodies Found In Raccoons

Reservoir Ducks

Reservoir Dogs (Cats, Foxes, and Raccoons)

 

And for more on RBDs, the following essays might be of interest.

 

Study: H1N1 Receptor Binding

RBD: Looking For The Sweet Spot

Receptor Binding Domains: Take Two

 

 

While we are learning more about influenza viruses, and the hosts they inhabit, we obviously have a long way to go.     The novel H1N1 and H5N1 viruses have rewritten the science text books over the past five years, and more rewrites are likely in store.

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US: Dog Tests Positive For H1N1

 

 

# 4181

 

 

In November, we began hearing reports of dogs in China that had tested positive for the novel H1N1 virus.  The first hint came from a CTV newscast (see China Worries Over Species Jumping H1N1) that I blogged about on November 11th.

 

On November 28th, we received more confirmation (see China Reports 2 Dogs With H1N1) with this news report from Xinhua News.

 

China urges intensified supervision on A/H1N1 flu in animals

www.chinaview.cn  2009-11-28 09:43:42

BEIJING, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Agriculture has called for intensified monitoring and investigation of A/H1N1 flu in animals after two samples from sick dogs were tested positive for the virus.

 

The veterinary clinic of College of Veterinary Medicine at the China Agricultural University reported Wednesday that two out of 52 samples from sick dogs were tested positive for A/H1N1 flu virus, the ministry said late Friday.

 

While conventional wisdom has been that dogs and cats are not normally susceptible to `human-adapted’ influenza, if you blog about influenza long enough – you stop being surprised when the `rules’ are bent.

 

Cats, after all, we were not thought likely to be susceptible to the novel H1N1 virus  either . . .  until, that is, reports of infected cats began to come in a little over two months ago.

 

Followers of the avian influenza story, of course, know that dogs and cats have both been infected by the H5N1 virus.

 

Dr. C.A. Nidom demonstrated in 2006 that of 500 cats he tested in and around Jakarta, 20% had antibodies for the bird flu virus.   For an overview of a number of other cases, see Apparently They Didn't Get The Memo.

 

We’ve not heard of dogs being infected by the H1N1 virus before, although there have been reports of dogs being infected by the H5N1 avian flu.   See also Study: Dogs Can Shed H5N1 Virus.

 

Of course, H5N1 is avian flu, with different receptor binding domains than human flu.   

 

While it probably happens more often than we know, yesterday the first confirmation of canine infection with the novel H1N1 here in the United States was released by Idexx labs.

 

Here are excerpts from the IDEXX Labs press release

 

INDUSTRY ALERT from IDEXX Reference Laboratories:H1N1 influenza virus infection confirmed in household pets

A dog from the Katonah Bedford Veterinary Center in Bedford Hills, New York, has tested positive for the H1N1 virus on the IDEXX H1N1 Influenza Virus RealPCR™ Test.

 

A 13-year-old dog had a several-day history of not feeling or eating well, a dry cough and a fever on presentation to its veterinarian. The dog was treated for pneumonia and improved with hospitalization and supportive care. The dog tested positive on the IDEXX H1N1 Influenza Virus RealPCR Test. A more detailed case description is available.

Background

In the United States, the H1N1 influenza virus has been confirmed recently as the cause of respiratory disease in several ferrets and cats resulting in more than one death in each of these species. These infections were believed to have been contracted from infected owners. There was an unconfirmed report of dogs infected in China in late November. The case described here is what is believed to be the first reported case of a dog infected with the H1N1 influenza virus in the United States. The dog’s owner had also recently tested positive for H1N1 influenza virus. The Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory has confirmed independently that the influenza strain is the new pandemic strain circulating in the human population and not a swine-specific H1N1 strain.

(Continue . . . )

 

 

The concern here isn’t so much that dogs or cats will give the virus to humans.  Transmission from pet to owner has not yet been established (although it is certainly possible).  

 

Right now, there are plenty of opportunities to contract the illness from humans, without worrying about getting it from a pet.

 

It is far more likely that a pet will catch this virus from their owner, than the other way around.

 

Apart from the scientific curiosity as to why novel H1N1 should have a wider host range (swine, turkeys, felines, canines, ferrets, etc.) than most influenza viruses, the real concern is over the possibility that H1N1’s promiscuous behavior could lead to the creation of mutated or reassorted strains of the virus.

 

 

Of course, this same mutation could occur in swine, birds, humans, or practically any other host the virus can infect.  

 

So we shouldn’t stigmatize our pets as potential incubators of a mutated virus.  It could just as easily happen in a turkey, a pig, or even your next door neighbor.

 

There is also a theory that states that the more susceptible hosts a virus can find, the less evolutionary pressure it will have to mutate.  

 

If true, the ability of this virus to infect more hosts could be seen as good news.  Of course, it’s just a theory . . .   

 

All of which means we have a lot more to learn about this virus in particularly, and influenza viruses in general, before we can begin to predict how all of this turns out.

 

Stay Tuned.

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USDA Listing Of Animals With H1N1

 

 

# 4121

 

 

Over the past couple of months we’ve heard of a number of instances here in the United States, and around the world, of animals infected with the H1N1 2009 pandemic virus.  

 

Today we get a list from the  USDA of animals in the US that have tested positive for the virus.  Aside from humans and swine (16), the USDA lists ferrets (5), cats(3), turkeys (5), and a Cheetah (1) as having contracted the virus.

 

A hat tip to Farmer on FluTrackers for posting this link.

 

(Click to load PDF file)

 

The infection of swine with an H1N1 swine-like virus isn’t unexpected, nor is the susceptibility of ferrets a big surprise.  Ferrets are often used in influenza research because they are susceptible to the virus.

 

The jumping to cats is a bit more surprising, given that the only other flu virus known to affect cats is the H5N1 bird flu.

 

The susceptibility of turkeys, given that research over the summer stated that they were not likely to acquire the virus, is perhaps the biggest surprise (see US: Turkey Farm Reports H1N1).

 

The promiscuous nature of this novel H1N1 continues to raise concerns, something that the Reveres at Effect Measure discussed last week (see Dogs, cats and swine flu's promiscuity).

 

Not included (yet) in the above list is the report today of 2 cats, from different households in Colorado, that have tested positive for the virus.

 

 

CSU treats two cats suffering from swine flu

 

Two cats from different households in Colorado have tested positive for the H1N1 virus, or “swine flu,” according to Colorado State University's Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.

 

The cats are expected to recover but their cases serve as a reminder to pet owners to seek treatment for animals that appear to be ill. Veterinarians believe that both cats became ill after a person in their household contracted the virus.

 

The feline cases come after H1N1 has been identified in ferrets, birds and other cats in the United States.

(Continue . . .)

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China Worries Over Species Jumping H1N1

# 3996

 

 

A video report from CCTV (China Central Television) news tonight where concerns over species jumping to pigs, cats, and according to this report . . . dogs, have experts in China concerned over the potential for the H1N1 virus to mutate.

The newscaster is in English, although the interview with Zhong Nanshan, hero of the SARS outbreak of 2003 and a highly respected respiratory disease specialist, is in Chinese with an English translation.

 

We’ve not heard of dogs being infected by the H1N1 virus before, although there have been reports of dogs being infected by the H5N1 avian flu.   For now, until we can get some details, I’m not quite ready to embrace the canine H1N1 species jump.

 

The concern is, particularly in rural parts of china where many people live in close proximity to animals, that a flu virus could mutate, or reassort in an animal host, then spread to humans.

Of course, a flu virus can mutate or reassort in a human host, too.  Other species just add more opportunities, and perhaps a wider range of viruses for the H1N1 virus to encounter.

 

While we know mutations and reassortments happen, they obviously don’t happen easily or often.  Otherwise we’d be hip deep in new viruses all of the time.   Still, it is a legitimate concern and worthy of our attention.

 

A hat tip to Tonka on FluTrackers for posting this link.

 

 

Experts warn of possible A/H1N1 mutation

2009-11-11 13:25 BJT

Medical experts are warning that the A/H1N1 flu has entered a period of high frequency and easy transmission. And with fresh cases of pigs infected by the virus in Hong Kong and Taiwan, experts say the possibility that the virus will mutate is growing.

 

Recent monitoring has found several cases of pigs, cats and dogs infected by the human A/H1N1 flu virus. Experts now fear that close contact between people and animals will increase the danger of mutation. China's Ministry of Health reported 30 fatal cases on the mainland as of Monday, out of nearly 60 thousand confirmed cases. It said the increase in infections will inevitably result in additional severe cases. Experts call for a timely response each time a case is confirmed, to prevent the illness from worsening.

 

Dr. Zhong Nanshan, head of Chinese Medical Association, said, "Because when the virus harms the lungs, there is a high possibility of breathing difficulty. It is different from the usual pneumonia. And there will be great difficulty treating such patients, even though they are young and healthy. The reason for this is unclear yet, but what we can do is get vaccinated, and go to the hospital as soon as possible when suffering from a continuous fever. "

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Iowa: Cat Tests Positive For H1N1

 

# 3952

 

From the Iowa Department of Public Health, a report of a pet cat that contracted the H1N1 virus, presumably from it’s servants . . . err, owners.

 

I’ve seen reassurances in the popular press for the past few months that dogs and cats were not susceptible to this flu virus, but as we’ve seen with other strains (including H5N1), cats can and do catch the flu.

 

Which proves that the one thing you can say about influenza viruses is; Never say `never’.

 

A hat tip to @scifri and @ICAV on twitter for announcing this link.

 

 

 

Protecting Pets from Illness

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) remind Iowans that in addition to protecting their families, friends and neighbors from the spread of the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, it’s important to remember to protect family pets from the illness, as well. People who are sick with H1N1 can spread the virus not only to humans, but to some animals.

 

The Departments are sharing this message following the confirmation of a case of H1N1 in an Iowa cat.

 

The 13-year-old indoor cat in Iowa was brought to the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center at Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, where it tested positive for the H1N1 virus. The diagnosis is the culmination of collaborative efforts between IDPH, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Center for Advanced Host Defenses, Immunobiotics and Translational Comparative Medicine, USDA, and IDALS Animal Industry Bureau.

 

“Two of the three members of the family that owns the pet had suffered from influenza-like illness before the cat became ill,” said IDPH Public Health Veterinarian, Dr. Ann Garvey. “This is not completely unexpected, as other strains of influenza have been found in cats in the past.” Both the cat and its owners have recovered from their illnesses.

 

People can keep their pets healthy by washing hands, covering coughs and sneezes, and minimizing contact with their pets while ill with influenza-like symptoms. If your pet exhibits signs of a respiratory illness, contact your veterinarian.

 

“Indoor pets that live in close proximity to someone who has been sick are at risk and it is wise to monitor their health to ensure they aren’t showing signs of illness,” said Dr. David Schmitt, State Veterinarian for Iowa.

 

For more information about H1N1, visit www.idph.state.ia.us/h1n1/ or call the Iowa Influenza Hotline at 1-800-447-1985.

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