TACT...A question for you. There is something very interesting about the Texas farmhand case which I haven't seen discussed elsewhere. The Texas farmhand has a specific viral mutation that is considered a 'mammalian adaptation signal'; HOWEVER, none of the dairy cattle on the farm has this same signal.
This seems quite interesting. Could it suggest this gentleman did NOT get the virus from the cows?
The CDC has put out an alert to physicians to be on the lookout for HPAI...perhaps they feel there is another viral vector in the community?? I did read that CATS on the afflicted dairy farm had a 100% fatality rate from the virus.
That mutation was also seen in an H7N1 infected human and shows that it can rapidly mutate to become better adapted to humans. We don't know if the cats had any further evolution. That would be helpful to understand.
Given the increasing odds of more human infections, there is a greater chance that the H5N1 virus will eventually be able to adapt and spread more efficiently among humans. The timeline for this adaptation is uncertain, but the high likelihood of it occurring underscores the need for proactive planning and preparedness. Vigilant monitoring and research into the virus's evolutionary trajectory will be crucial in staying ahead of this potential threat to public health.
"Dynamic PB2-E627K substitution of influenza H7N9 virus indicates the in vivo genetic tuning and rapid host adaptation"
"The intrahost dynamic adaptation was confirmed by the gradual replacement of 627E by 627K in H7N9 in the longitudinally collected specimens from one patient. These results suggest that host adaptation for better virus replication to new hosts, termed "genetic tuning," actually occurred in H7N9-infected patients in vivo. Notably, our findings also demonstrate the correlation between rapid host adaptation of H7N9 PB2-E627K and the fatal outcome and disease severity in humans. The feature of H7N9 genetic tuning in vivo and its correlation with the disease severity emphasize the importance of testing for the evolution of this avian-origin virus during the course of infection."
It seems (?) to me that Texas Health & Human Services putting out that 'All Points Bulletin' to healthcare providers to look for HPAI suggests that they are rather concerned about what they don't know.
And I agree...we need to know more about the cats.
If you get the chance, you might wish to read about this Vietnam college kid who died of HPAI...the timeline in this case is concerning. Did the HPAI infection in this case evolve in-situ to become more pathogenetic? Wouldn't rule it out.
I had the same thought about timing but after investigating it does appear to be unconnected. There is evidence that there is a new recombinant variant in Vietnam. That will be detailed in today's update. Definitely very concerning.
TACT...A question for you. There is something very interesting about the Texas farmhand case which I haven't seen discussed elsewhere. The Texas farmhand has a specific viral mutation that is considered a 'mammalian adaptation signal'; HOWEVER, none of the dairy cattle on the farm has this same signal.
This seems quite interesting. Could it suggest this gentleman did NOT get the virus from the cows?
The CDC has put out an alert to physicians to be on the lookout for HPAI...perhaps they feel there is another viral vector in the community?? I did read that CATS on the afflicted dairy farm had a 100% fatality rate from the virus.
https://twitter.com/HNimanFC/status/1776388087016301000
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/tests-confirm-avian-flu-new-mexico-dairy-farm-probe-finds-cats-positive
That mutation was also seen in an H7N1 infected human and shows that it can rapidly mutate to become better adapted to humans. We don't know if the cats had any further evolution. That would be helpful to understand.
Given the increasing odds of more human infections, there is a greater chance that the H5N1 virus will eventually be able to adapt and spread more efficiently among humans. The timeline for this adaptation is uncertain, but the high likelihood of it occurring underscores the need for proactive planning and preparedness. Vigilant monitoring and research into the virus's evolutionary trajectory will be crucial in staying ahead of this potential threat to public health.
"Dynamic PB2-E627K substitution of influenza H7N9 virus indicates the in vivo genetic tuning and rapid host adaptation"
"The intrahost dynamic adaptation was confirmed by the gradual replacement of 627E by 627K in H7N9 in the longitudinally collected specimens from one patient. These results suggest that host adaptation for better virus replication to new hosts, termed "genetic tuning," actually occurred in H7N9-infected patients in vivo. Notably, our findings also demonstrate the correlation between rapid host adaptation of H7N9 PB2-E627K and the fatal outcome and disease severity in humans. The feature of H7N9 genetic tuning in vivo and its correlation with the disease severity emphasize the importance of testing for the evolution of this avian-origin virus during the course of infection."
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32873642/
It seems (?) to me that Texas Health & Human Services putting out that 'All Points Bulletin' to healthcare providers to look for HPAI suggests that they are rather concerned about what they don't know.
https://www.dshs.texas.gov/news-alerts/health-alert-first-case-novel-influenza-h5n1-texas-march-2024
And I agree...we need to know more about the cats.
If you get the chance, you might wish to read about this Vietnam college kid who died of HPAI...the timeline in this case is concerning. Did the HPAI infection in this case evolve in-situ to become more pathogenetic? Wouldn't rule it out.
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/vietnam-confirms-h5n1-mans-avian-flu-death
I had the same thought about timing but after investigating it does appear to be unconnected. There is evidence that there is a new recombinant variant in Vietnam. That will be detailed in today's update. Definitely very concerning.
Hope you're not planning a summer vacation.
It would be nice if things would go quiet, but the opposite seems more likely.
The new variants coming out of China/India look like trouble.