CABI Blogs: hand picked... and carefully sorted

Pandemic influenza: lessons learned from 2009-10

Pandemics appear to have occurred throughout history, the first being recognized in 1580. Reviewing previous pandemics can give an indication of what might be expected, however nothing is certain - it is impossible to predict the next pandemic virus or its impact, as demonstrated by the 2009 A(H1N1) pandemic.

By guest bloggers Jonathan Van-Tam and Chloe Sellwood

The 2009 flu pandemic was officially declared on 11 June 2009. The first cases of A(H1N1)pdm09 occurred in Mexico between January and March 2009, followed shortly by early first waves in north America, the UK and across the southern hemisphere countries in spring 2009. Many of the first cases of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 in Europe were reported in travellers returning from Mexico or the USA within a few days of the outbreak being announced, and cases rapidly emerged in countries as far away as New Zealand. A second, more widespread northern hemisphere wave followed in autumn/winter of the same year. After the pandemic was declared over on 10 August 2010 there were effective ‘third waves’ of A(H1N1)pdm09 disease in both southern then northern hemispheres in the following winter seasons.

Universal influenza vaccine is now a possibility..

Across my desk today at CABI, came the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and tucked away at the back in a section called “Clinical Implications of Basic Research” was “Stalking influenza diversity with a universal antibody” by Charles R. Russell (St Jude Children’s Hospital, Memphis).

Here I learnt that an antibody has been isolated which recognizes all 16 hemagglutinin (HA) subtypes of influenza (H1 to H16),  and will protect mice and ferrets from dying from the infection.  Simplistically called F16 (!), it was isolated from human blood plasma cells (104,000 cells from 8 donors) by selecting for those cells that produced an antibody binding to 3 very diverse influenza strains:  H1N1 (swine-origin) , H5N1 and H7N7 (both are highly pathogenic avian-influenzas).  (Light dawns, yes, that’s what the H numbers mean…)

I am sure you remember the pandemic fears caused by bird-flu and swine-flu, and are familiar with the annual flu-jabs for seasonal influenza.  So the significance of an antibody that can bind all 3 will not be lost on you.

The HA protein of influenza has a head and stalk structure, with the head exposed and the stalk tethering it to the virus surface . It’s the  regular changes in the head of HA protein that keeps the virus ahead of our immune system and means that we have to update seasonal influenza vaccine most years.  F16 binds to the  more "constant" stalk, in parts highly conserved across subtypes,  and so it stands a really good chance of protecting us against seasonal influenza. If it can’t,  then it has at least identified portions of the HA stalk that could be used to create a universal vaccine or be targeted by anti-viral drugs.

If you are a subscriber to NEJM, you can read Russell’s article for a simple explanation of the significance of this discovery. If you are a really keen bunny, then I hope you read the original article by Corti et al in Science.

You may not have heard it here first, but 3^rd hand is better than never when it comes to good news.

Further reading:

Stalking influenza diversity with a universal antibody C. R. Russell

A Neutralizing Antibody Selected from Plasma Cells That Binds to Group 1 and Group 2 Influenza A Hemagglutinins Corti et al

Related blogs:

H1N1 influenza research- free papers

Flu - can we say goodbye to yearly vaccines soon?

This song could go viral

Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis (VEE) is not often referenced in song, but The Crab Hole Mosquito Blues has just been released online in text and audio in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, charting the spread and control of the disease, which affects horses and people.

An alphavirus, such as VEE (Center for Disease Control)

The song describes the discovery that Deinocerites pseudes, the crab hole mosquito, found along the Pacific coast of Central America was a vector for the VEE virus.  Scientists at the Middle America Research Unit (MARU), Ancon, Panama Canal Zone wrote the song during an outbreak of VEE that affected Central America, Mexico, and the USA. The scientists managed to characterise the spread of different antigenic forms of equine and associated human disease throughout the Americas.  The research by MARU and others led to the development of an effective vaccine, allowing the disease to be controlled.

Vitamin D and flu

Since my recent post on the growing health claims for vitamin D (see: Bring on the sunshine!), the 'sunshine vitamin' has continued to appear in the headlines.

Of note is a study from Japan (just published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition)¹ suggesting that the risk of children contracting influenza A may be reduced if they take vitamin D supplements during the winter.

Flu - can we say goodbye to yearly vaccines soon?

I was at the CDC's session on H1N1 influenza at the American Public Health Association annual meeting in Philadelphia recently and the problems of getting a flu vaccine out to the population fast was brought home to me. It takes about 5-6 months at present to grow and manufacture new flu vaccines and in a pandemic, like the one we have now, a lot of people could die in that time.The main problems are due to antiquated methods of growing viruses, and the need to remake vaccine each year because the virus is constantly changing.

What if one could find a vaccine that didn't need remaking each year and could be used for pandemics caused by new versions of the virus ?

Pass the Chalice?

"Bishops defying swine flu advice" said the headlines recently.

Some bishops in England  have recently reinstated using a shared chalice to distribute communion wine. UK Dept of Health advice is to suspend this practice during the swine flu outbreak to prevent the spread of this disease. I can see why chalices were identified as potentially spreading infections but church goers should take heart because drinking wine from a shared  silver communal vessel may be safer than sharing a cup of water.

Why?

Flu - avoid the aspirin

I wouldn't usually visit a doctor for flu treatment I'd just suffer at home with the cold remedies and/or over-the-counter fever reducing drugs. I guess a lot of people will be doing that in the near future, but make sure you are using the right drugs....

Is Europe blind to H1N1 (swine) flu?

This blog is about an article I read in the New Scientist entitled ‘Europe may be blind to swine flu cases’. The article deals with a point I raised in my previous blog posted on 1^st May on H1N1 flu. Having flown back from a holiday in Canada, I started suffering flu symptoms the week swine flu hit the news headlines and I wasn’t tested for H1N1 because I didn’t fit the pattern of suspect cases, which is having been to Mexico in the past 7 days, or being in contact with a swine flu confirmed case. I mentioned then I thought this is a simplistic way of deciding who is suitable for screening. As a scientist, I would have included a control group, i.e. some of the people who don't fit the pattern, so that we would have a better idea of the extent of the spreading of the virus. My daughter who went to Canada with me also had flu a couple of days after I had.

H1N1 influenza research- free papers!

It is cheering to see that a growing list of publishers including CABI is making influenza related research papers and databases freely available to help the global anti-influenza effort. I'm gathering those I hear about on CABI's free H1N1 'dashboard'. Below is what I have found so far. The list will be growing I'm sure.....

Man Flu Really Exists, New Study Shows

Man flu is considered by large segments of society to be the psychological condition of men with colds. It is often said that when men have a cold they think it is a flu and as a consequence they moan more than women and stay longer in bed until they feel better.

Man flu is not to be confused with the current H1N1 pandemic flu which is affecting humans in some 40 countries. There has also been one swine case on a farm in Canada.