Author: Siddha Hover

Highlights include dengue blowing up on the global stage,  mutant superbugs and the scientists who kill them, Ebola in Bangladeshi bats, stopping Influenza dead by messing with its internal clock,  cholera in Cuba, and Syria’s apparent use of chemical weapons (more leaked diplomatic cables). Happy Friday!

WHO: Dengue has ‘Epidemic Potential”

The World Health Organization released a report assessing  and improving upon the world’s current commitments to combating the “neglected” tropical diseases. Ranking pretty high amongst the 17 tropical diseases featured is dengue, which has seen a 30-fold increase in occurrence globally over the last half century.

WHO – “In 2012, dengue ranks as the most important mosquito-borne viral disease with an epidemic potential in the world… its human and economic costs are staggering. The world needs to change its reactive approach and instead implement sustainable preventive measures that are guided by entomological and epidemiological surveillance.”

MUTANTS…or How Scientists Stalked a Lethal Superbug – With the Killers Own DNA

Is this the tagline to a summer blockbuster or a piece about using innovative epidemiology to fight antibiotic resistant bacteria?  “Why not both?  Who’s connected to Spielberg on LinkedIn? (Are you connected to Mason Biodefense on LinkedIn? You really should be)

Wired – “With each passing year, the problem of superbugs—bacteria such as Klebsiella that have evolved resistance to all, or nearly all, antibiotics available—has grown progressively more dire. Gone are the days when pharmaceutical companies could roll out generation after generation of new medications to replace those that bacteria had already surmounted. Such drugs have become much harder to find; and even when they are found, the market for them is far less lucrative than for molecules that combat such high-profile killers as cancer or AIDS. As a result, the flow through the antibiotics pipeline has slowed to a trickle. From 1983 through 1987, the FDA approved 16 new systemic antibiotics; from 2008 through 2011, it approved just two. Rather than administer some new wonder drug, then, the Clinical Center could only quarantine these KPC-positive patients and give them harsh drugs like colistin, an antibiotic so toxic it was all but abandoned in the 1970s. An estimated 90,000 people die every year from infections they acquire in US hospitals—more than the number that die from Alzheimer’s, diabetes, or influenza.”

Bats are Reservoir for Ebola Virus in Bangladesh

This is our first Ebola piece of 2013, for those of you keeping track, and it therefore an interesting one. According to a study in the CDC’s most recent Emerging Infectious Diseases, approximately four percent of a sample of 276 fruit bats in Bangladesh possessed antibodies for Ebola. Filoviruses in Asia? No thanks.

“These results suggest that Rousettus fruit bats are a reservoir for Ebola, or a new Ebola-like virus in South Asia. The study extends the range of this lethal disease further than previously suspected to now include mainland Asia. ‘Research on Filoviruses in Asia is a new frontier of critical importance to human health, and this study has been vital to better understand the wildlife reservoirs and potential transmission of Ebola virus in Bangladesh and the region,’ said Dr. Kevin Olival, lead author and Senior Research Scientist at EcoHealth Alliance.”

Scientists Try To Thwart Flu Virus By Resetting Its Clock

Having had the stupid flu, we here at the Mason Biodefense blog are well and truly read for it to disappear off the face of the planet. Scientists at Mount Sinai School of Medicine are trying to help influenza along the path to oblivion by tricking the virus to prematurely leave the cozy warmth of its host cell. Exposed, our immune system can then gobble it up like any other irrelevant antigen.

NPR – “A study in Cell Reports describes how researchers tapped into the flu’s internal clock as they search for ways to keep the virus from spreading. Flu viruses hijack the machinery inside host cells to replicate. The theft is a complicated process that takes time. A virus enters the nucleus of the cell, copies itself thousands of times and then breaks out before the immune system attacks. Every minute counts. To trick the flu, researchers fiddled with how fast the escape protein accumulates inside cells. Speed up the protein production, and the virus leaves the cell before it has made enough copies to infect someone else.”

Cholera Cases Reported in Cuba

Cholera is an awful disease, not least because it’s forever ruined the phrase “rice water” for many of us (sorry, sorry – if you don’t have a slightly macabre sense of humor coming into  Biodefense, you will going out). It’s still not known how the disease,  which before 2012 had been absent for over a century, was resurfaced in Cuba.

CNN – “A statement from the Cuban Health Ministry said so far there were 51 confirmed cases in the new outbreak. The statement did not say if anyone had died from the disease, a bacterial infection of the small intestine, which causes severe diarrhea and vomiting in infected people…The Health Ministry statement Tuesday said the latest outbreak appeared to be caused by a food vendor who had not followed proper sanitary procedures”

Leaked State Department Cable: Syria Has Used Chemical Weapons

According to Foreign Policy, a leaked State Department cable has indicated that the Syrian government used chemical weapons against the rebels last month.  Out of respect for those of you working or interning with State,  no excerpts from the article will be posted.

Merry Holiday Season to all! And stay tuned Monday for George Mason Biodefense’s “year in review”, examining the most interesting and relevant developments in biodefense over 2012.  For now, highlights include the ongoing mystery of the Spanish Flu, bats as the elixir of eternal good health, the fiscal cliff (it’s inescapable) interrupting post-Sandy aid,  the inevitably of another global flu pandemic (yes, this is news. Sort of. Read the article), and the ongoing uncertainty regarding the causes of this year’s West Nile epidemic. Happy Friday and a safe and happy New Year!

The Worst Pandemic in History

Slate has a really interesting piece on the study of the 1918 Spanish Influenza pandemic, which I’ll be the first to admit, legitimately frightens me. In just under a year, the virus infected nearly 40% of the world’s population, resulting in over 50 million deaths.

Slate – “Ninety-five years ago in the little town of Brevig Mission, Alaska, a deadly new virus called Spanish influenza struck quickly and brutally. It killed 90 percent of the town’s Inuit population, leaving scores of corpses that few survivors were willing to touch. The Alaskan territorial government hired gold miners from Nome to travel to flu-ravaged towns and bury the dead. The miners arrived in Brevig Mission shortly after the medical calamity, tossed the victims into a pit two meters deep, and covered them with permafrost. The flu victims remained untouched until 1951, when a team of scientists dug up the bodies, cracked open four cadavers’ rib cages, scooped out chunks of their lungs, and studied the tissue in a lab. But they were unable to recover the virus and threw out the specimens. Nearly 50 years later, scientists dug up another victim from the same site, this time a better preserved, mostly frozen, obese woman, and successfully extracted viral RNA. In 2005, a team of scientists finally completed the project, sequencing the full genome of the viral RNA. But they still don’t know exactly why it caused the Spanish flu pandemic.”

How Bat Genomes Could Help Make You Healthy

A group of scientists with possibly the best team name ever – the Bat Pack – have determined that it may be bats’ ability to fly that helps inure them from of the nastier zoonotic bugs (ebola, SARS, etc). Maybe Batman was on to something?

Popular Science – “A new genetic analysis shows how bats avoid disease and live exceptionally long lives–information researchers could use to design drugs for people. Though they can rapidly spread pathogens that afflict humans, bats somehow avoid getting sick from viruses like Ebola, SARS, and other deadly bugs. A new genetic analysis of two very different bat species shows how the animals avoid disease, and live exceptionally long lives. It may all be related to their ability to fly, researchers say. This research comes from the “Bat Pack,” a team of scientists at the Australian Animal Health Laboratory, and the Beijing Genome Institute. The team sequenced the genomes of a huge fruit bat and a tiny insectivorous bat and found both were missing a gene segment that can cause extreme immune reactions to infection. In most mammals, the so-called ‘cytokine storm’ that results from an invading virus is actually what kills, not the virus itself. This inflammatory response doesn’t happen in bats.”

Fiscal Cliff Discussions Get in Way of Post-Sandy Relief Measure

Homeland Security Newswire – “The post-Sandy rebuilding effort in the northeast has been stalled by the debate going on in Congress about a solution to the national debt…Lawmakers from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and several other states are still waiting for support for a measure which would allow speeding up of clean-up efforts construction, but with the focus on the fiscal cliff, the $60 billion White House Sandy relief request has taken a back seat. Last Thursday legislators from the affected states pleaded with their colleagues to separate the disaster relief package — which, when the states’ requests are added, could total $100 billion — from the fiscal cliff conversations”.

Global Flu Pandemic ‘Inevitable,’ Expert Warns

By “expert” they mean head of the pharmaceutical company currently attempting to manufacture a universal flu vaccine. Which isn’t to say he’s wrong! Rather, as one GMU Biodefense faculty member is fond of saying (and quite rightly),  always check your sources.

USNWR – “A new global flu pandemic within the next couple years is inevitable, one prominent flu vaccine manufacturer says. Joseph Kim, head of Inovio Pharmaceuticals, which is currently working on a “universal” flu vaccine that would protect against most strains of the virus, says the world is due for a massive bird flu outbreak that could be much deadlier than the 2009 swine flu pandemic. ”I really believe we were lucky in 2009 [with the swine flu] because the strain that won out was not particularly lethal,’ he says. ‘Bird flu kills over 60 percent of people that it infects, regardless of health or age. It is a phenomenal killing machine—our only saving grace thus far is the virus has not yet jumped to humans.'”

West Nile Virus Surge Unexplained

Although the specific causative agents have yet to be pinpointed, scientists have established that this year’s epidemic was not a result of significant viral mutation. Silver lining?

Medpage – “During the summer, the CDC realized that this year was on track to be one of the worst for West Nile virus infections, and as reported cases continue to be tallied the reason for the resurgence remains unclear. As of Dec. 11, the official case count was 5,387, the second highest total since the mosquito-borne virus first emerged in New York in 1999. There were 9,862 total cases reported in 2003, a number padded by excessive testing in one state that year. Human infections have now been identified in all 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia, with the hardest hit being Texas (32%), California (8%), and Louisiana (6%). Current numbers of neuroinvasive disease cases (2,734) and deaths (243) rank third behind those recorded for 2002 and 2003.”

Highlights include H5N1 research for everyone, a gift all Biodefense students can get behind, finally detecting the tiniest virus, why bacteria are to blame for you eating that third piece of fruitcake, USAID’s PREDICT program, and staying away from the hand dryer. Happy Friday!

The End of Days for H5N1 Moratorium?

H5N1 research is out of the dog (ferret?) house, following a lifting of a year long ban, put in place after the controversial “Airborne Transmission of Influenza A/H5N1 Virus Between Ferrets” study. Stay tuned for the GMU Biodefense review of the decision.

The Scientist – “After a 2-day meeting in Bethesda, Maryland, this week, government officials have finally reached a consensus on a policy to review requests to research the potentially dangerous H5N1 influenza virus. The new policy could end a longstanding debate that began when two research groups published studies showing their ability to create viruses that are transmissible between mammals. The National Institutes of Health policy, which is to take effect next month, will effectively lift a 12-month ban on H5N1 research that started in January. But some countries may not wait. ‘I suspect that we will be seeing a lifting of the moratorium on the part of people who are not NIH-funded,’ Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said at the meeting…”

Preparing for Bioterrorism

Unsure what to get the Biodefense student who has it all? Look no further! The Alfred P. Sloan foundation has released a book helpfully titled “Preparing for Bioterrorism”, which is about, you guessed it, bioterrorism. Download it for free from their website, pass it along to your favorite BIOD student, and then sit back and bask in your gift-giving glory.

Get it here (be sure to check out the forward by D.A. Henderson, available here).

Groundbreaking research leads to detection of smallest virus particle, implications for early treatment of disease

Vasily Kolchenko (great name, great mustache) and his team, by attaching a nano-antenna to a light-sensing device, have managed to detect the smallest virus particles.

Phys.org – “…Their work has made it possible, for the first time, to detect the smallest virus particle. Since even one viral particle can represent a deadly threat, the research likely will make an important contribution to ongoing research on early detection of such diseases as AIDS and cancer. Until the research team announced their discovery this year in Applied Physics Letters (July 27, 2012), no instrument or methodology had been successful in reliably and accurately detecting a single virus particle, which is in the size range of a nanoparticle. (About 80,000 nanoparticles side by side would have the same width as a human hair.) The research will potentially have an immense impact on the general public, aiding disease detection at its earliest stage when fewer pathogens are present and medical intervention can be most effective.”

Are Bacteria Making You Hungry?

I know defending against our nation’s proclivity towards baked goods isn’t necessarily an issue of biodefense, but it’s the holiday season, and as the pounds are added on, any and all scapegoats are appreciated (George Mason Biodefense is in no way condoning unhealthy eating habits. A balanced diet and frequent exercise are the best way to remain healthy).

Science Daily – “Over the last half decade, it has become increasingly clear that the normal gastrointestinal (GI) bacteria play a variety of very important roles in the biology of human and animals. Now Vic Norris of the University of Rouen, France, and coauthors propose yet another role for GI bacteria: that they exert some control over their hosts’ appetites. Their review was published online ahead of print in the Journal of Bacteriology.”

USAID Emerging Pandemic Threats Program Trains 1,500 in Infectious Disease Surveillance, Diagnostics and Outbreak Response and Identifies 200 Novel Viruses

Microbial and infectious disease experts from around the world came together earlier this month for the 20th annual meeting of the Institute of Medicine (IoM)’s Forum on Microbial Threats.

“Over the past three years, the PREDICT Project of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Pandemic Influenza and Other Emerging Threats (PIOET) program has trained 1,500 people in surveillance, diagnostics, and outbreak response; has discovered 200 novel viruses related to groups known to cause disease in humans; and has standardized animal sampling protocols as part of detecting and preventing pathogens of pandemic potential from spilling over from animal to human populations – and vice versa. These figures were presented by Stephen Morse, PhD, of Columbia University and Co-Director of the PREDICT Project during a panel…on “Disease Detection, Emergence and Spread: Tools and Approaches for Infectious Disease Surveillance and Detection” .

Why Paper Towels are Important

Using an air dryer in the bathroom is always better, right? Especially one of the automatic ones that you don’t have to touch? Wrong.  In doing your bit to stop the spread of flu this holiday season, consider reaching for the towel. From the Mayo Clinic:

“Hand hygiene has the potential to prevent diseases and reduce health care–associated infections. The proper drying of hands after washing should be an essential component of effective hand hygiene procedures. Most studies have found that paper towels can dry hands efficiently, remove bacteria effectively, and cause less contamination of the washroom environment. From a hygiene standpoint, paper towels are superior to air dryers; therefore, paper towels should be recommended for use in locations in which hygiene is paramount, such as hospitals and clinics. The provision of paper towels should also be considered as a means of improving hand hygiene adherence among health care workers. Our findings may have implications for health professionals and medical educators aiming to design effective programs to promote hand hygiene practices.”

Highlights include Russia quietly upping it’s chem/bio defense spending (*cough* Syria *cough*), the MSP discussing the BWC (breaking news: Cuba has complaints)(no offense Cuba), the bugs in your great great times 100 grandfather’s belly, a new journal article on immune escape and pandemic mortality, annnd how to win a million dollars (math. it’s always math). Happy Friday!

Russia to Spend $183 million on Chemical, Bio Defense in 2013

Russia, possibly a little nonplussed by Assad’s suddenly revitalized interest in his WMD, is investing 5.6 billion rubles ($183 million) on bolstering their defenses against chemical and biological weapons (FYI: Syria is just over 600 miles south of Russia – for comparison, that’s less than the length of California). Make all the dual-use jokes you want, I think the Russians are on to something.

Ria Novosti –  “MOSCOW, December 11 (RIA Novosti) – Russia will spend over 5.6 billion rubles ($183 million) on improving defense against chemical and biological threats in 2013, a Defense Ministry official said on Tuesday. ‘The overall spend on measures to defend against chemical and biological threats in 2013 will be around 5.65 billion rubles,’ the head of Russia’s Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Defense (NBCD) department Maj. Gen. Yevgeny Starkov said.”

2012 Meeting of State Parties for the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention Concludes

Stay tuned for the Final Report.

“Thursday morning provided an opportunity for delegates to raise any further issues within the topics allocated to the MSP. The following countries took the floor: on cooperation and assistance: Republic of Korea, Algeria and Iran (national); on science and technology: Chile and the United Kingdom; on national implementation: Algeria, Japan and Chile; and on confidence-building measures: Japan. Most interventions followed up on themes that had been previously raised.”

Too Many Antibiotics? Bacterial Ecology That Lives On Humans Has Changed in Last 100 Years

Apparently the bugs living in our ancestors (of the ancient variety) were more similar to “non-human primates” than to your average American today. Why? Overuse of antibiotics, especially in the last century.

Science Daily – “A University of Oklahoma-led study has demonstrated that ancient DNA can be used to understand ancient human microbiomes. The microbiomes from ancient people have broad reaching implications for understanding recent changes to human health, such as what good bacteria might have been lost as a result of our current abundant use of antibiotics and aseptic practices…’The results support the hypothesis that ancient human gut microbiomes are more similar to those of non-human primates and rural non-western communities than to those of people living a modern lifestyle in the United States,’ says Lewis. ‘From these data, the team concluded that the last 100 years has been a time of major change to the human gut microbiome in cosmopolitan areas.’ ”

The age distribution of mortality due to influenza: pandemic and peri-pandemic

This study evaluates impact of “immune escape” on elderly mortality rates during pandemics, with immune escape here referring to the “stepwise increase in mortality among the oldest elderly.” It’s always interesting to see how pandemics affect specific age populations.

BMC Medicine – “In all influenza pandemics of the 20th century, emergent viruses resembled those that had circulated previously within the lifespan of then-living people. Such individuals were relatively immune to the emergent strain, but this immunity waned with mutation of the emergent virus. An immune subpopulation complicates and may invalidate vaccine trials. Pandemic influenza does not ‘shift’ mortality to younger age groups; rather, the mortality level is reset by the virulence of the emerging virus and is moderated by immunity of past experience. In this study, we found that after immune escape, older age groups showed no further mortality reduction, despite their being the principal target of conventional influenza vaccines. Vaccines incorporating variants of pandemic viruses seem to provide little benefit to those previously immune. If attack rates truly are similar across pandemics, it must be the case that immunity to the pandemic virus does not prevent infection, but only mitigates the consequences.”

Algorithms for Threat Reduction

For those of you so inclined, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, in partnership with the National Science Foundation, has an “Algorithm for Threat Reduction” competition with a $1 million prize.

NSF – “This program solicits proposals from the mathematical sciences community in two main thrust areas: mathematical and statistical techniques for genomics, and mathematical and statistical techniques for the analysis of data from sensor systems.”

In case you missed it:

–  Why Assad Won’t Use His Chemical Weapons Foreign Policy
– Syria Warns Opposition May Use WMD Al Arabiya News