Virology News

This study has helped elucidate the responses underlying susceptibility to H5N1 influenza in avian species, which will be critical in developing sustainable strategies for future control of HPAI in domestic poultry.

March 29, 2023 1:33 pm
(Updated 4:37 pm)
By Jane Merrick (https://inews.co.uk/author/jane-merrick)

Scientists are investigating the possibility that bird flu (https://inews.co.uk/topic/avian-flu?ico=in-line_link) was transmitted among a pack of bush dogs at a zoo in England.

Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines against COVID-19 are the first authorized biological preparations developed using this platform. During the pandemic, their administration has been proven to be a life-saving intervention.

Genetic characterisation of circulating influenza viruses directs annual vaccine strain selection and mitigation of infection spread. We used next-generation sequencing to locally generate whole genomes from 116 A(H1N1)pdm09 and 118 A(H3N2) positive patient swabs collected across Uganda between...

During marine heat waves, viruses may increase their attacks on the symbiotic algae that give reef-building corals their amazing colors.

Research and data to make progress against the world’s largest problems...

WHO tracking Omicron XBB.1.16 subvariant, rising cases in some countries Lisa Schnirring COVID-19 Soumen Hazra/iStock Share Earlier this week at a press briefing, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said though COVID-19 patterns are hard to predict, the XBB.1.16 Omicron subvariant is the one to watch and is fueling a steady rise in cases in India. In its weekly update on the pandemic yesterday, the WHO said it added XBB.1.16 as the sixth variant under monitoring on Mar 22. It also said though global cases and deaths continue to decline, some countries—including India—are reporting recent spikes in cases. XBB.1.16 edged out other variants in India At a Mar 29 press briefing, Maria Van Kerkhove, PhD, the WHO's technical lead for COVID-19, said XBB.1.16 has a similar profile to XBB.1.5 but has an additional changes in the spike protein. She said XBB.1.16 has replaced other circulating subvariants in India. So far, there are about 800 sequences from 22 countries, mostly from India. Van Kerkhove said in lab studies, XBB.1.16 has shown signs of increased infectivity as well as potentially increased pathogenicity. "So this is one to watch. It's been in circulation for a few months," she said. "We haven't seen a change in severity in individuals or in populations, but that's why we have these systems in place." India this week reported its highest levels COVID cases in 6 months, prompting stepped up testing and an advisory to increase mask use in New Delhi. Rising cases in South Asia and Middle East In its weekly pandemic snapshot yesterday, the WHO said overall cases and deaths continue to decline, but said several countries are reporting significant increases in cases. Case trends in four WHO regions declined or held steady, but levels are on the rise in the Eastern Mediterranean and South East Asia region, an area that includes India. In the Eastern Mediterranean region, Iran, Kuwait, and Libya reported the biggest proportional increases over the last 28 days, with the highest numbers reported from Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. Iran's health minister yesterday said that the latest COVID-19 wave has led to an increase in hospitalizations and that both XBB and BQ.1 subvariants are circulating, Anadolu Agency reported today. Thirteen cities are in the red risk category, and the spike in activity is occurring alongside the Iranian New Year Holiday. In the WHO's South East Asia region, India has both the highest proportional rise in cases and the most cases over the past 4 weeks. Also, Indonesia reported a modest rise in cases. US markers decline, XBB.1.5 reaches saturation In a biweekly data summary today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said US COVID markers continue to decline. The 7-day average for new daily COVID cases is about 20,000, down 9.2% compared to the previous 7-day average. About 228 people die from COVID each day, down 29.4% compared to the previous 7-day average for deaths. In its latest variant proportion estimates, the CDC said XBB.1.5 has reached saturation, making up 87.9% of samples, and that three other Omicron subvariants show positive growth. They include XBB.1.9.1, XBB, and XBB.1.5.1. Our underwriters Unrestricted financial support provided by Principal Underwriter Leading Underwriter Major Underwriter Supporting Underwriter Become an Underwriter Related news This week's top reads WHO tracking Omicron XBB.1.16 subvariant, rising cases in some countries Though illness levels are declining in much of the world, they are on the rise in some countries including India and a handful of Middle East countries. Lisa Schnirring H3N8 avian flu sickens another person in China The illness is China's third involving H3N8 since 2022. Lisa Schnirring Chile reports human H5N1 avian influenza case Officials haven't said how the man was exposed to the virus, which had recently appeared in Chile's wild birds, poultry, and even some sea mammals. Lisa Schnirring Study identifies SARS-CoV-2 variants with antiviral resistance mutations The variants predate the use of the drugs, appeared independently in multiple world regions, and are capable of spreading. Chris Dall Study: Long COVID could involve factors other than SARS-CoV-2 infection The authors said a range of factors--biological, psychological, or social--might trigger and maintain long COVID symptoms. Lisa Schnirring WHO vaccine advisers update COVID vaccine recommendations For the first time, the recommendations factor in cost-effectiveness for vaccinating those at lower risk, partly due to concerns about maintaining coverage of crucial routine vaccines such as measles. Lisa Schnirring Study: Antibiotics don't reduce risk of death from viral respiratory infections Nearly two-thirds of patients hospitalized with flu, RSV, or COVID-19 received antibiotics, but they had a higher risk of death than those who didn't. Chris Dall COVID exploited US political divisions along with racial and health disparities Using several public datapoints, the group looked for trends including any that might signal tradeoffs between COVID burden and economic and educational outcomes. Lisa Schnirring Quick takes: Details on Tanzania's index Marburg case, Marburg in 2 cities in Equatorial Guinea Though no new cases reported in the two outbreaks, groups released new details about the Marburg virus spread in each country. Lisa Schnirring COVID widened excess death gap between US and European countries Though COVID deaths drove part of the widening gap, other factors such as unintentional injuries involving opioids and alcohol also played a role. Lisa Schnirring

Comparison of mucosal and systemic immunity after vaccination with the live-attenuated vaccine sCPD9, mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 or an adenovirus-vectored vaccine following SARS-CoV-2 challenge in hamsters.

Securing Tori-Furu burial sites

Apr 04 09:02


With the number of chickens and other animals disposed of due to bird flu this season reaching a record high, land shortages in 16 prefectures, including Kagawa Prefecture, and the lack of land to bury them, made it difficult to dispose of them.

“With this material, the dawn of ambient superconductivity and applied technologies has arrived,” according to a team led by Ranga Dias.

Avian influenza viruses continue to present challenges to animal and human health. Viruses bearing the hemagglutinin (HA) gene of the H5 subtype and H7 subtype have caused 2634 human cases around t...

A study from Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine is the first to connect highly pathogenic avian influenza to a large scale mortality event in wild mammals.

Porcine circovirus 4 (PCV4) is considered a novel PCV, firstly found in China in 2019 and later discovered in Korea. This present study investigated the prevalence and genetic characteristics of PCV4 from high pig-density areas in Thailand during 2019–2020.

Namibia on Wednesday announced the suspension of the import and in-transit movement of live/raw poultry, birds, and live/raw ostrich products from Argentina and Chile after outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the Latin American countries.

The next plandemic is already underway. Moderna and two other vaccine developers (GlaxoSmithKline & CSL Seqirus) are already preparing human subjects to take a new mRNA flu vaccine for an upcoming avian influenza pandemic.

An warning has been issued following the identification of tick-borne disease encephalitis (TBEV) in parts of the UK, with one 'probable' case in Scotland.

The province's Chief Veterinary Officer says avian flu is continuing to circulate in wild bird populations in ...

More than 1,500 sea lions in Chile are believed to have died of H5N1 avian influenza, an increase of more than 1,000 in less than two weeks, according to government figures. It comes amid growing concern about the virus.

A vaccine directed at COVID-19 is much better than natural infection at revving up key immune cells called killer T cells, researchers say.

Taking steps now to enhance surveillance, accelerate vaccine testing and development, and improve the security of farms, will help prevent H5N1 from becoming the next pandemic. It is not too late to tackle this threat, but it is ultimately up to us to take action.