Avian influenza

Influenza (Flu)
Types
Avian (A/H5N1 subtype) · Canine Equine · Swine (A/H1N1 subtype)
Vaccines
2009 pandemic (Pandemrix) ACAM-FLU-A · Fluzone · Influvac Live attenuated (FluMist) · Optaflu
Treatment
Amantadine · Arbidol · Laninamivir Oseltamivir · Peramivir · Rimantadine Vitamin D · Zanamivir
Pandemics
2009 · 1968-1969 Hong Kong · 1918
Outbreaks
2008 West Bengal 2007 Bernard Matthews H5N1 2007 Australian equine 2006 H5N1 India · 1976 swine flu

Avian influenza, sometimes avian flu, and commonly bird flu, refers to "influenza caused by viruses adapted to birds." Of the greatest concern is highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

"Bird flu" is a phrase similar to "swine flu," "dog flu," "horse flu," or "human flu" in that it refers to an illness caused by any of many different strains of influenza viruses that have adapted to a specific host. All known viruses that cause influenza in birds belong to the species influenza A virus. All subtypes (but not all strains of all subtypes) of influenza A virus are adapted to birds, which is why for many purposes avian flu virus is the influenza A virus (note that the "A" does not stand for "avian").

Adaptation is non-exclusive. Being adapted towards a particular species does not preclude adaptations, or partial adaptations, towards infecting different species. In this way strains of influenza viruses are adapted to multiple species, though may be preferential towards a particular host. For example, viruses responsible for influenza pandemics are adapted to both humans and birds. Recent influenza research into the genes of the Spanish flu virus shows it to have genes adapted to both birds and humans; with more of its genes from birds than less deadly later pandemic strains.

Genetics

Genetic factors in distinguishing between "human flu viruses" and "avian flu viruses" include:

PB2: (RNA polymerase): Amino acid (or residue) position 627 in the PB2 protein encoded by the PB2 RNA gene. Until H5N1, all known avian influenza viruses had a Glu at position 627, while all human influenza viruses had a Lys.

HA: (hemagglutinin): Avian influenza HA bind alpha 2-3 sialic acid receptors while human influenza HA bind alpha 2-6 sialic acid receptors. Swine influenza viruses have the ability to bind both types of sialic acid receptors. Hemagglutinin is the major antigen of the virus against which neutralizing antibodies are produced and influenza virus epidemics are associated with changes in its antigenic structure. This was originally derived from pigs, and should technically be referred to as "Pig Flu" (see ref. 7a)

Subtypes

There are many subtypes of avian influenza viruses, but only some strains of four subtypes have been highly pathogenic in humans. These are types H5N1, H7N3, H7N7 and H9N2.

Examples of avian influenza A virus strains:

Influenza pandemic

In spite of their pandemic connection, avian influenza viruses are noninfectious for most species. When they are infectious they are usually asymptomatic, so the carrier does not have any disease from it. Thus while infected with an avian flu virus, the animal doesn't have a "flu". Typically, when illness (called "flu") from an avian flu virus does occur, it is the result of an avian flu virus strain adapted to one species spreading to another species (usually from one bird species to another bird species). So far as is known, the most common result of this is an illness so minor as to be not worth noticing (and thus little studied). But with the domestication of chickens and turkeys, humans have created species subtypes (domesticated poultry) that can catch an avian flu virus adapted to waterfowl and have it rapidly mutate into a form that kills in days over 90% of an entire flock and spread to other flocks and kill 90% of them and can only be stopped by killing every domestic bird in the area. Until H5N1 infected humans in the 1990s, this was the only reason avian flu was considered important. Since then, avian flu viruses have been intensively studied; resulting in changes in what is believed about flu pandemics, changes in poultry farming, changes in flu vaccination research, and changes in flu pandemic planning.

H5N1 has evolved into a flu virus strain that infects more species than any previously known flu virus strain, is deadlier than any previously known flu virus strain, and continues to evolve becoming both more widespread and more deadly causing Robert G. Webster, a leading expert on avian flu, to publish an article titled "The world is teetering on the edge of a pandemic that could kill a large fraction of the human population" in American Scientist. He called for adequate resources to fight what he sees as a major world threat to possibly billions of lives. Since the article was written, the world community has spent billions of dollars fighting this threat with limited success.

Vaccines have been formulated against several of the avian H5N1 influenza varieties. Vaccination of poultry against the ongoing H5N1 epizootic is widespread in certain countries. Some vaccines also exist for use in humans, and others are in testing, but none have been made available to civilian populations, nor produced in quantities sufficient to protect more than a tiny fraction of the Earth's population in the event that an H5N1 pandemic breaks out. The World Health Organization has compiled a list of known clinical trials of pandemic influenza prototype vaccines, including those against H5N1.

H5N1

H5N1

The highly pathogenic influenza A virus subtype H5N1 virus is an emerging avian influenza virus that has been causing global concern as a potential pandemic threat. It is often referred to simply as "bird flu" or "avian influenza" even though it is only one subtype of avian influenza causing virus.

H5N1 has killed millions of poultry in a growing number of countries throughout Asia, Europe and Africa. Health experts are concerned that the co-existence of human flu viruses and avian flu viruses (especially H5N1) will provide an opportunity for genetic material to be exchanged between species-specific viruses, possibly creating a new virulent influenza strain that is easily transmissible and lethal to humans.

Since the first H5N1 outbreak occurred in 1987, there has been an increasing number of HPAI H5N1 bird-to-human transmissions leading to clinically severe and fatal human infections. However, because there is a significant species barrier that exists between birds and humans, the virus does not easily cross over to humans, though some cases of infection are being researched to discern whether human to human transmission is occurring. More research is necessary to understand the pathogenesis and epidemiology of the H5N1 virus in humans. Exposure routes and other disease transmission characteristics such as genetic and immunological factors, that may increase the likelihood of infection, are not clearly understood.

On January 18, 2009, a 27-year-old woman from eastern China has died of bird flu, Chinese authorities said, making her the second person to die this year from the deadly virus. Two tests on the woman were positive for H5N1 avian influenza, said the ministry, which did not say how she might have contracted the virus.

Although millions of birds have become infected with the virus since its discovery, 262 humans have died from the H5N1 in twelve countries according to WHO data as of August 31, 2009.

The avian flu claimed at least 200 humans in Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Romania, China, Taiwan, Turkey and Russia. Epidemiologists are afraid that the next time such a virus mutates, it could pass from human to human; however, the current A/H5N1 virus does not transmit easily from human to human. If this form of transmission occurs, another pandemic could result. Thus disease-control centers around the world are making avian flu a top priority. These organizations encourage poultry-related operations to develop a preemptive plan to prevent the spread of H5N1 and its potentially pandemic strains. The recommended plans center on providing protective clothing for workers and isolating flocks to prevent the spread of the virus.

The Thailand outbreak of avian flu causes massive economic losses especially among poultry workers. Infected birds were culled and sacrificed. The public loss its confidence with the poultry products and thus decreasing the consumption of chicken and its products. This also elicited a ban from importing countries. There were however, factors which aggravated the spread of the virus which includes bird migration, cool temperature (increases virus survival) and several festivals at that time.

In domestic animals

Several domestic species have been infected with and shown symptoms of H5N1 viral infection including cats, dogs, ferrets, pigs,and birds.

Birds

Attempts are made in the United States to minimize the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry in through routine surveillance of poultry flocks in commercial poultry operations. Detection of a HPAI virus may result in immediate elimination of the flock. Less pathogenic viruses are controlled by vaccination, which is done primarily in turkey flocks (ATCvet codes: QI01AA23 for the inactivated fowl vaccine, QI01CL01 for the inactivated turkey combination vaccine).

External links

International

United Nations System Coordinator for Avian and Human Influenza (UNSIC).

• Avian Influenza and the Pandemic Threat

World Health Organisation (WHO)

• WHO Avian influenza resource
• The United Nation's World Health Organization's Avian Flu Facts Sheet for 2006

Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO)

• FAO Avian Influenza portal Information resources, animations, videos, photos
• FAO Bird Flu disease card

World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)

• Official outbreak reports by country
• Official outbreak reports by week

• Avian influenza resource By Dr. Nati Elkin - Atlases, vaccines and information.

United States

• PandemicFlu.Gov U.S. Government avian and pandemic flu information
• US Avian Influenza Response U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
• Avian influenza research and recommendations National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Influenza Research Database Database of influenza sequences and related information.
• Wildlife Disease Information Node A part of the National Biological Information Infrastructure and partner of the NWHC, this agency collects and distributes news and information about wildlife diseases such as avian influenza and coordinates collaborative information sharing efforts.
• Avian Influenza information AVMA - The American Veterinary Medical Association.

Europe

• Health-EU Portal EU response to Avian Influenza.
• Avian Influenza: Prevention and Control Proceedings of the Frontis workshop on Avian Influenza: Prevention and Control, Wageningen, The Netherlands
• Avian Influenza: Questions & Answers European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control - Official website
• FluTrop: Avian Influenza Research in Tropical Countries French Agricultural Research Center for Developing Countries (CIRAD), Avian Influenza website