Pandora Report 9.6.14

by juliadhomstad, posted in Pandora Report

This week we cover dengue in Japan, dog flu in NYC, more forgotten lethal specimens in government labs, and of course, an Ebola update.

Canine Influenza Cases Spreading in Manhattan

Flu season is rapidly approaching, and evidently, it doesn’t only affect humans. Veterinarians in Manhattan have reported cases throughout the borough. The cases are likely due to dogs playing with other infected dogs at parks and dog runs. Vets warn owners to watch for coughing dogs and if they are present to take their dog to another area. The good news is, just like their human counterparts, dogs, too, can receive a flu vaccine.

The Gothamist—“According to the ASPCA, symptoms include coughing, sneezing, difficulty breathing, fever, lethargy and loss of appetite; most dogs will recover within a month, but secondary infections like pneumonia can be problematic.”

 

New Cases of Dengue Fever Should be a Wake-Up Call for Japan

As many as 70 people in Japan have been infected with Dengue fever—traditionally, a disease found in tropical climates—the country’s first outbreak since 1945. The diagnoses prompted authorities to fumigate an area of Yoyogi Park in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward, which was the apparent source of the infections. Dengue fever is transmitted by mosquitos and produces an extremely high fever and pain in the joints. The disease is not transmitted person to person.

The Asahi Shimbun—“The most effective way to deal with a global dengue epidemic is to step up the efforts to exterminate mosquitoes in countries with a large number of patients, especially in urban areas.”

 

Forgotten Vials of Ricin, Plague, and Botulism found in U.S. Government Lab 

A strong feeling of deja vu hit this week when we learned about yet another case of forgotten vials of dangerous pathogens at U.S. labs. In this case, the containers were discovered during an investigation of NIH facilities after scientists found vials of smallpox earlier this summer. This search discovered a century (!!) old bottle of ricin, as well as samples of tularemia and meliodosis. The FDA also reported they found an improperly stored sample of staphylococcus enterotoxin.

The Independent—“The NIH does have laboratories that are cleared to use select agents, and those pathogens are regularly inventoried, the director of research services Dr. Alfred Johnson said. However, these samples were allowed to be stored without regulation.”

 

This Week in Ebola

We learned that new cases of Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo are genetically unrelated to the West African strain and that researchers from the Broad Institute and Harvard are working to sequence and analyze virus genomes from the West African outbreak. Senegal is working hard to manage contacts with the Guinean student who tested positive for the virus in the capital, Dakar. Human trials of an Ebola vaccine continued in the U.S. and are planned to take place in Mali, the U.K., and Gambia. A third American infected with Ebola will return to the U.S. and will be treated at a Nebraska medical containment unit which was built for the SARS outbreak. I read an article that hypothesized that Ebola may be able to be transmitted sexually which could account for a high number of cases, while the Washington Post pointed to the fact that the West Africa outbreak is drawing attention from diseases which are more widespread and kill more people—it’s the Kardashian of diseases. Lastly, CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden said that this outbreak of Ebola is “threatening the stability” of affected and neighboring countries, and Dr. Daniel Lucey, of the Georgetown University Medical Center, predicts that the current outbreak “will go on for more than a year, and will continue to spread unless a vaccine or other drugs that prevent or treat the disease are developed.”

 

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Reston Ebola: NOVA’s Namesake Emerging Infectious Disease

by juliadhomstad, posted in News

By Chris Healey

Almost 25 years before the 2014 Ebola epidemic began spreading through West Africa – and the resulting treatment of two American Ebola patients on U.S. soil – public health officials responded to an Ebola outbreak inside the U.S.

Reston Ebola is the name given to an Ebola species discovered among macaque monkeys in a pharmaceutical research company’s primate quarantine unit in Reston, VA.

In 1989, a veterinarian at Hazelton Research Products, a pharmaceutical research company, contacted the United States Army Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, MD, concerning an unusually high mortality rate among macaques in a shipment from the Philippines. The veterinarian wanted USAMRIID to confirm suspected simian hemorrhagic fever, a viral illness lethal to primates but innocuous to humans. Tests on macaque carcasses unexpectedly showed signs of a deadly filovirus infection – Ebola hemorrhagic fever virus.

Initially, Ebola species Zaire – with mortality rates as high as 90%, and the cause of the 2014 African Ebola epidemic – was implicated as the agent at work. Faced with an unprecedented public health threat, state and federal health agencies converged on the primate quarantine facility in Reston. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention monitored quarantine facility employees for Ebola symptoms. USAMRIID euthanized primates and sterilized the quarantine facility.

Comprehensive tests later identified the Zaire species identification as an error – Reston Ebola was a new species incapable of infecting humans. However, the enormous public health response was not unwarranted.

Unlike other Ebola species, researchers suspected Reston Ebola demonstrated airborne transmission at the quarantine facility. The longer the virus remained in human presence, the longer it was given opportunities to adapt. If Reston Ebola were to adapt to humans with airborne communicability it would pose a catastrophic public health risk.

Although no quarantine facility employees demonstrated Ebola-like symptoms during the 1989 outbreak, six workers produced Reston Ebola antibodies, meaning the virus elicited an immune response. Reston Ebola’s quick eradication was paramount to ensure that the virus—with its suspected airborne communicability—did not adapt to humans.

Restriction of the 2014 African Ebola epidemic to only a few countries has been attributed to the limited means of Ebola virus transmission. All Ebola species which affect humans are communicable only through direct contact with an infected person or their bodily fluids. Airborne transmission would increase viral spread and undermine containment efforts.

 

Image Credit

Week In DC: Events

by juliadhomstad, posted in Events, Week In DC

September 2, 2014

War or Words: The Impact of Russian State Television Propoganda on the Russian Internet

Date: September 2, 4:00pm
Location: Elliot School of International Affairs, George Washington University, 1957 E Street NW, Suite 412, Voesar Conference Room, Washington DC

Following Russia’s annexation of Crimea and support for separatists in eastern Ukraine, Russian state television has portrayed the government in Kyiv as a “fascist junta” while stoking popular support for President Vladimir Putin among its domestic audience. This presentation will examine the central components of this Kremlin effort, developing a case study of Dmitry Kiselev’s Sunday evening broadcast “News of the Week,” the WWII and Cold War frames he employs, the reaction of the Russian internet audience to the frames, and what this data tells us about the relationship between television and the internet in Russia. It will assess whether Putin is a prisoner of his own propaganda, and how such Kremlin propaganda may be influencing Russian society.

RSVP here.

September 3, 2014

Challenges to India’s Nuclear Doctrine
Date: September 3, 9:30am
Location: Atlantic Council, 1030 15th Street NW, 12th Floor, West Tower, Washington DC

India’s nuclear policy faces significant challenges from the opacity of Pakistan’s strategic nuclear thinking and its development of tactical nuclear weapons. The combustible mixture of these factors has not only made it prickly for India to find coherence in its long-term policies, but it has also increased the threat of a nuclear standoff between the two countries. The status-quo is unacceptable for India because Pakistan upholds an ambiguous nuclear doctrine that could have perilous effects if India were to retaliate against an attack on Indian soil. Critics of India’s No First Use policy argue that it abrogates the duty of the state to protect its citizens by leaving them vulnerable to a first strike. Can India find a way to strengthen its long-term security without risking nuclear escalation? Please join the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center for a discussion with Vice Admiral Vijay Shankar PVSM on India’s nuclear doctrine and the challenges that it will face in the future.

Register here.

September 4, 2014

Where Defense Dollars Go: Understanding the FY2015 Defense Budget
Date: September 4, 10:00am
Location: Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments

The U.S. Department of Defense is one of the largest organizations in the world, managing global security responsibilities with numerous international allies and partners. What does it take to fund DoD? Where does that money go? How is DoD coping in the current fiscal environment? What gaps exist between the strategy outlined in the Quadrennial Defense Review and the capabilities funded by the latest budget request?

CSBA Senior Fellow Todd Harrison will present the report’s findings and take questions from the audience.

The report examines the Pentagon’s most recent budget proposal, including military compensation costs, readiness funding, cost projections for major acquisition programs, and the request for Overseas Contingencies Operations.

The report estimates the gap between the strategy and defense program called for in the QDR and the budget caps currently in effect—a gap that totals into the hundreds of billions over the FYDP.  The report concludes that the Pentagon has not budgeted enough to fully resource its strategy nor has it revised its strategy to fit within the budget constraints set by Congress.  If this strategy-resource gap is not resolved, it will inevitably lead to greater risk in executing an already under-resourced strategy and defense program.

Watch the Live Webcast here.

The European Union at the Crossroads: Completing Integration or Hastening Disintegration
Date: September 4, 12:00pm
Location: Georgetown University, 37th and O Street NW, Edward B Bunn, S.J. Intercultural Center, ECR, ICC 701, Washington DC

Join us on Thursday, September 4 at noon for a lecture with Stephan Leibfried, University of Bremen, on ‘The European Union at the Crossroads: Completing Integration or Hastening Disintegration’.

During the latter half of the twentieth century, national welfare states in Europe served effectively as a safety net for market integration after 1957 and for global markets after the 1970s. Today, Europe is at a crossroads: Can the national welfare state and national varieties of capitalism remain broadly compatible as the EU system comes under national and transnational stress? Europe has a choice between an American-style exclusive safety net and a European-style inclusive and systematic safety net. When considering the question, it may be helpful to consider what Europe does and what it hopes to do in the future to determine ultimately what form of statehood the EU may take.

Register here.

Ensuring a Strong U.S. Defense for the Future
Date: September 4, 2:00pm
Location: U.S. Institute of Peace, 2301 Constitution Ave NW, Washington DC

The U.S. Institute of Peace is pleased to host a discussion of the report by the National Defense Panel, “Ensuring a Strong U.S. Defense for the Future,” with the Hon. Michèle Flournoy and LTG (Ret.) Michael Maples.

After more than a decade of active combat, the United States faces an evolving security environment characterized by challenges in Asia, turmoil in the Middle East, and an emboldened Russia that has destabilized Europe. With sequestration budget cuts ahead, the U.S. government also faces new fiscal constraints. Amid these regional and economic dynamics, the rapid global proliferation of technology provides both opportunity for and threats to American security and values. Against this backdrop the Department of Defense released its Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) in March. The report, which provides policy planning guidance for the next two decades, was controversially received by Congress.

Following the QDR’s release, the congressionally-mandated National Defense Panel (NDP), co-chaired by Dr. Bill Perry and General John P. Abizaid, was tasked to evaluate the 2014 QDR. The expert panel, per its mandate, assessed the QDR’s findings related to force size, structure, and posture against a rapidly evolving security environment.

The U.S. Institute of Peace, which was tasked by Congress to facilitate the review of the QDR in both 2014 and2010, is pleased to a detailed discussion of the panel’s report, “Ensuring a Strong U.S. Defense for the Future.” The report presents the panel’s findings and recommendations on the QDR and on reforms to planning and policy for both the Department of Defense and Congress. It also comments on the current funding trends and the impact of a return to sequestration in 2016.

RSVP here.

The Global War on Terrorism: Is It Time to Double Down?
Date: September 4, 5:30pm
Location: The Burke Theatre, 701 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington DC 20004

Recent gains by extremist groups in Iraq, Syria, and across Africa raise the question of whether extreme Islamist terrorism is making a comeback — and whether the United States should do more to fight back.  But is terrorism indeed worse now than when al Qaeda was at its peak, or has the decimation of al Qaeda leadership left disparate, more localized, and less effective terrorist groups?  Would a renewed, strong effort by the United States to go after global jihadists make us safer from these terrorists — or would this only help stimulate further terrorist recruits and violent acts against U.S. interests?   Hear leading experts debate these questions and more in our next McCain Institute Debate: “The Global War on Terrorism:  Is it Time to Double Down?”

Confirmed panelists include: Fran Townsend, Former Assistant to President George W. Bush for Homeland Security & Counterterrorism; Mike Morrell, Former Acting Director, CIA; Daniel Benjamin, Former Ambassador-at-Large, U.S. State Department; and Philip Mudd, Former Deputy Director, CIA Counterterrorist Center. Juan C. Zarate, Former Deputy National Security Advisor for Combating Terrorism, will serve as the panel moderator.

Register here.

Pandora Report 8.31.14

by juliadhomstad, posted in Pandora Report

Fall classes at George Mason have already started and this Labor Day weekend marks the official end of summer. This week, we have stories covering a wide range of topics—an Ebola update (of course), a fascinating article on vaccinia infections acquired through shaving, Haj precautions, and the ISIS “laptop of doom.”

Best wishes for a safe and enjoyable holiday!

Ebola Virus Outbreak Could Hit 20,000 Within Nine Months, Warns WHO

There were many stories this week covering the continuing Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Senegal saw its first (imported) case of the virus this week and has banned flights to and from the affected countries while shutting its land border with Guinea and Nigeria saw its first death outside of the capital city of Lagos. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Ebola first emerged in 1976, there have been reported cases of a hemorrhagic gastroenteritis similar to Ebola. I read conflicting accounts this week of the “patient zero” for the Ebola outbreak—a young boy or an older traditional healer. There were reports of some U.S. universities screening students from West Africa for Ebola. There was coverage of a Toronto medical isolation unit ready for patients and information about GlaxoSmithKline’s experimental ebola vaccine which would be tested on humans in the next few weeks.

All of this news came among World Health Organization estimates that this West African outbreak could affect 20,000 people over the next nine months and that half a billion dollars would be needed to stop the spread of the disease.

The Wall Street Journal—“The WHO program will likely cost around $490 million and require contributions from national governments, some U.N. and non-governmental agencies, as well as humanitarian organizations, it said.”

First Reported Spread of Vaccinia Virus Through Shaving After Contact Transmission

This week, reports in the August issue of Medical Surveillance Monthly Report from the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center covered vaccinia virus infection—the virus used for smallpox vaccinations—within the U.S. Air Force. The infections in the report occurred in June 2014, and affected four individuals.

Infection Control Today—“Over the past decade, most cases of contact vaccinia (i.e., spread of the virus from a vaccinated person to an unvaccinated person) have been traced to U.S. service members, who comprise the largest segment of the population vaccinated against smallpox. Most involve women or children who live in the same household and/or share a bed with a vaccinee or with a vaccinee’s contact. Of adult female cases, most are described as spouses or intimate partners of vaccinees or secondary contacts. Of adult male cases, most involve some type of recreational activity with physical contact, such as wrestling, grappling, sparring, football, or basketball. Household interactions (e.g., sharing towels or clothing) and “unspecified contact” are also implicated.”

Government to Keep Haj Infection-Free 

This week, the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health announced mandatory measures for Haj and Umrah pilgrims coming from countries with active outbreaks or high rates of infectious diseases. The Health Ministry sent information to embassies outlining health requirements for those seeking pilgrim visas.

Arab News—“‘Although we do not issue Haj visas for pilgrims coming from endemic countries, we will still be monitoring pilgrims coming from other African countries for Ebola symptoms,’ said [Sami] Badawood [Jeddah Health Affairs director.]

He said the ministry would also focus on diseases such as yellow fever, meningitis, seasonal influenza, polio and food poisoning.”

Is the ISIS Laptop of Doom an Operational Threat?

Discovery of a laptop, which has been linked to ISIS, raises new questions about the organization’s plans relating to use of WMD—specifically chemical or biological weapons. Over 35,000 files on the laptop are being examined and has offered new insight into ISIS and their WMD aspirations.

Foreign Policy—“Most troubling is a document that discusses how to weaponize bubonic plague. But turning that knowledge into a working weapon requires particular expertise, and it’s not clear that the Islamic State has it.”

 

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Tuberculosis and Seals: Sea Mammals as Harbingers of Disease

by juliadhomstad, posted in News

By Chris Healey

Seals introduced one of the deadliest illnesses in history to the Western Hemisphere centuries before Europeans carried it over. Researchers at the University of Tubingen in Germany published findings in the research journal Nature describing the role seals played in introducing tuberculosis to the Americas.

Before these findings, the presence of tuberculosis in North and South America prior to European exploration was unexplained. Tuberculosis spread across Africa, Europe, and Asia, but there was no evidence demonstrating tuberculosis concurrently existed in the Americas. The bacteria made its first appearance in Peruvian skeletal remains dating back to approximately A.D. 700 – centuries before the arrival of European explorers.

Research findings indicate approximately 2500 years ago, seals contracted a Mycobacterium strain from Africa and carried it across the ocean to the shores of Peru and Northern Chile. Possibly through seal predation, costal humans contracted a version of the seal Mycobacterium which had adapted to humans. Tuberculosis has been found in skeletal remains in North America dating back to approximately A.D. 900, indicating the seal-derived strain spread person-to-person from South America.

One limitation of this study was the inability to rule out humans passing the agent to seals. The researchers deemed that alternative a distant possibility; humans did not treat seals as livestock. A close relationship, such as between farmer and animal, is required to pass a pathogen from human to animal.

The seal-derived strain did not last long in the Western Hemisphere. Following European settlement, European tuberculosis strains outcompeted and eliminated those from seals. Today, viable seal-derived strains do not exist.

Tuberculosis is a condition caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a slow-growing bacterium adept at evading host immune response. The illness is one of the greatest threats to public health worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, tuberculosis kills more people than any other infectious agent except HIV/AIDS.

Despite advancements in therapeutic techniques, there has been a resurgence of tuberculosis fueled by the emergence of HIV/AIDS in the late 20th century. As an opportunistic pathogen, tuberculosis kills more AIDS patients than any other illness.

Tuberculosis is not the first human illness associated with seals. They are susceptible to certain subtypes of influenza, including H7N7, H4N5, and H3N2. Influenza subtypes maintained in seal populations could be re-assorted in other animals, such as fowl or swine, to produce subtypes which are highly virulent in humans.

 

Image Credit

Image of the Week: Rotavirus!

by juliadhomstad, posted in Images

15194

Under a very high magnification of 455,882X, this transmission electron micrograph (TEM) revealed some of the ultrastructural morphology exhibited by numbers of rotovirus icosahedral protein capsid particles.

Rotavirus disease is most common in infants and young children, but adults and older children can also become infected with rotavirus. Once a person has been exposed to rotavirus, it takes about 2 days for symptoms to appear.

Symptoms include:
– Fever
– Vomiting
– Diarrhea
– Abdominal pain

Vomiting and watery diarrhea may last from 3 to 8 days in a child who is infected with rotavirus. Additional symptoms include loss of appetite and dehydration (loss of body fluids), which can be especially harmful for infants and young children.

Vaccinated and unvaccinated children may develop rotavirus disease more than once because there are many different types of rotavirus and because neither vaccine nor natural infection provides full immunity (protection) from future infections. Usually a person’s first infection with rotavirus causes the most severe symptoms.

 

Image Credit and Caption: CDC

This Week in DC: Events

by juliadhomstad, posted in Events, Week In DC

August 25, 2014 

Turkey, Iraq, and the Kurdistan Regional Government
Date: August 25, 2:00pm
Location: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, 6th Floor Conference Room, Washington DC

The advances of ISIS have reheated the debate on the future of Iraq. The country is threatened by a new wave of violence and destruction, as a large swath of territory has turned into a conflict zone and an uprising has shaken the political order. The relative stability of Northern Iraq appeared to be strengthened, as the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) initially managed to keep the conflict at bay in the territories it controls. However the recent advances of ISIS have also underscored the fragile security environment in the country to which the KRG is also subject. The developments also highlighted the delicate position of many ethnic and religious groups most notably Turkmen, Yazidis and Christians. Turkey has both opportunities and challenges in Iraq, and keeps a close eye on the situation there. In this discussion, experts will address the future of Iraq and the KRG in the context of the current crisis, and will shed light on Turkey’s perspectives on the KRG, energy issues, minorities, and Iraq in general.

This event is co-organized by the Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (ORSAM).

RSVP here.

August 26, 2014

What About Jordan: Does Regional Crisis Threaten the Security of a Longstanding American Ally?
Date: August 26, 12:00pm
Location: Hudson Institute, 1015 15th Street NW, 6th Floor, Washington DC 20005

A U.S. ally for more than half a century, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is one of the pillars of American Middle East policy. But this longtime bulwark of stability in an otherwise dangerous and volatile region is now being buffeted by powerful—and unwelcome—winds of change. Two of its bordering neighbors, Syria and Iraq, are engulfed in civil wars featuring both active Iranian involvement and well-resourced Sunni extremists like the Islamic State. Moreover, the role of Hamas in West Bank politics remains an unsettled question. Domestically, Jordan has been suffering a severe refugee crisis for more than a decade, to which the Syrian conflict alone has recently added another million-plus civilian exiles. Can Jordan continue to manage the various emergencies on its doorstep? What can the American government do to help one of its key Middle East partners?

On August 26th, Hudson Institute will host an expert panel—Senior Fellow and moderator Lee Smith joined by Faysal Itani, Salameh Nematt, and David Schenker—for a discussion about the present state and future prospects of Jordan and its central role in American Middle East policy.

Event will be streamed live online here.

August 27, 2014

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria: Return of the Caliphate?
Date: August 27, 2:00pm
Location: Washington Times, 3600 New York Ave NE, Washington DC

In June, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS, also called ISIL) — a former al-Qaeda affiliate fighting against the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad — declared itself simply the “Islamic State” (the IS).  Claiming to have reestablished the Caliphate (in Arabic: Khilafah) that existed from 632 AD until it was abolished in 1924 by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Turkish Republic, the IS controls large parts of Iraq including the city of Mosul and the predominantly Sunni areas abutting Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan.  In addition, the IS has reportedly seized over $400 million looted from Mosul’s central bank, as well as gold bullion, in addition to potential oil revenues from fields in Syria and Iraq.  IS has applied a ruthless set of policies, seemingly designed both to demonstrate its ideological bona fides and to terrify its enemies: crucifixions and beheadings, forced conversion of Christians, and destruction of Islamic shrines.

To register, email William Selig.

August 28, 2014

Public Opinion and War
Date: August 28, 2:00pm
Location: Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Ave NW, Hayek Auditorium, Washington DC

Featuring Adam Berinsky, Professor of Political Science, MIT; John Mueller, Professor of Political Science, Ohio State University, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute; Jason Reifler, Senior Lecturer in Politics, University of Exeter; and Trevor Thrall, Associate Professor of Public and International Affairs, George Mason University; moderated by Justin Logan, Director of Foreign Policy Studies, Cato Institute.

When and why does the American public support war? Washington politicians and pundits often puzzle over these questions as they try to win support for their policies, but there is a large body of academic research on public opinion and war. Do events, such as casualties or the prospect of victory, affect support more, or do partisan identities or other attachments play a larger role? What sorts of arguments should hawks and doves make if they hope to win support for their views? Please join four leading political scientists as they examine the causes of public support for war.

Register here or watch online.

Fatal Assistance
Date: August 28, 5:00pm
Location: Center for Global Development, 2055 L Street NW, 5th Floor, Washington DC 20036

CGD is pleased to announce a screening of Fatal Assistance, part of our film series, Global Development Matters.

Haitian born filmmaker Raoul Peck takes us on a 2-year journey inside the challenging, contradictory and colossal rebuilding efforts in post-earthquake Haiti. Through its provocative and radical point of view, Fatal Assistance offers a devastating indictment of the international community’s post-disaster idealism. The film dives headlong into the complexity of the reconstruction process and the practices and impact of worldwide humanitarian and development aid, revealing the disturbing extent of a general failure. We learn that a major portion of the money pledged to Haiti was never disbursed, nor made it into the actual reconstruction. Fatal Assistance leads us to one clear conclusion: current aid policies and practice in Haiti need to stop immediately.

Following the screening of the film, CGD Senior Fellows Vijaya Ramachandran and Michael Clemens will provide commentary, before opening the floor to questions from the audience.

Register here.

Pandora Report 8.22.14

by juliadhomstad, posted in Pandora Report

Did you see that the destruction of Syria’s most lethal chemicals is now complete? Well, it is! Its good news among so many biodefense stories covering Ebola. I have no interest in making the Pandora Report the “All Ebola, All the Time” newsletter. As such, we will look at one Ebola story as well as stories covering new discoveries in tuberculosis and influenza.

Have a fabulous weekend, and students, enjoy your last one before classes start on Monday!

Tuberculosis is Newer Than Thought, Study Says

A recent study published in Nature reports that tuberculosis originated less than 6,000 years ago and was carried to the new world by seals. Seals! This new research contradicts original timeline and species genesis and some scientists think this study provides more questions than answers.

The New York Times—“In the new paper, the team proposes that humans acquired tuberculosis in Africa around 5,000 years ago. The disease spread to people across the Old World along trade routes. Meanwhile, Africans also spread the disease to animals such as cows and goats. Seals that hauled out onto African beaches to raise their pups became infected. The bacteria then spread through seal populations until reaching South America. Ancient hunters there became infected when they handled contaminated meat.”

Enzyme Holds the Door for Influenza

As the fall season and semester approach, the flu season travels with it. I was delighted to read that Walgreens, in addition to CVS, will now offer seasonal flu shots in their stores. More interesting news about flu came out of Vanderbilt University, too. Researches have investigated enzyme phospholipase D (PLD) and it ability to help the influenza virus escape immune response. Blocking PLD could assist in preventing the flu.

Bioscience Technology Online—“Normally the virus slips into its host cell in the epithelial lining of the lungs through internalized membrane compartments called endosomes. By delaying this process, the researchers propose, PLD2 inhibitors may give the cell’s innate immune response more time to destroy it.”

Patient Checked for Ebola Virus in Sacramento

Internationally, the good news is that quarantines have been set up in Liberia, in attempt to contain the spread of Ebola. The bad news is that they have become fairly violent. Stateside, this week Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol were released from Emory University Hospital after recovering from Ebola infections acquired in West Africa.

There was news of a possible case in Northern California. With few details provided as to the patient and transmission route, we learned that there is a patient being tested for Ebola in Sacramento. California Department of Health reported that the cases is low risk but that testing is being done out of “abundance of caution.”

San Francisco Chronicle—“‘In order to protect our patients, staff and physicians, even though infection with the virus is unconfirmed, we are taking the actions recommended by the CDC as a precaution, just as we do for other patients with a suspected infectious disease,” said Dr. Stephen Parodi, an infectious disease specialist at Kaiser Permanente North California. “This includes isolation of the patient in a specially equipped negative pressure room and the use of personal protective equipment by trained staff, coordinated with infectious disease specialists.’”

 

Image Credit

Plants and Their Growing Role in the Pharmaceutical Industry

by juliadhomstad, posted in News

By Chris Healey

Pharmaceutical production using plants has been in the spotlight after Mapp Pharmaceutical revealed its experimental Ebola serum ZMapp—credited with saving the lives of two Americans—was created using antibodies harvested from genetically-modified tobacco plants.

ZMapp is part of a growing trend of pharmaceuticals created from proteins produced in plants, a practice considered safer, cheaper, and more practical than common production methods.

There has been outcry about claims ZMapp will not be sent to Africa to combat the ongoing Ebola epidemic. Those claims come after the pharmaceutical industry has been slow to adopt plant production methods, despite cost-effectiveness relative to traditional production methods.

Large pharmaceutical powerhouses, such as Pfizer and Merck, have adhered to traditional production methods despite newer and cheaper techniques. However, smaller companies, such as Mapp Pharmaceutical and IBio, have taken advantage of the low cost of plant production to produce their pharmaceutical ingredients.

Transgenic techniques allow scientists to hijack existing cellular processes in plants to produce desired proteins, such as enzymes and antibodies. DNA instructions for a desired protein (also called a gene) can be created in laboratory settings and inserted into a plant cell nucleus. After insertion, the gene instructs the cells how to make the desired proteins.

Once the proteins are produced, scientists can harvest them for use in pharmaceuticals. Transgenic techniques can be repeated and scaled to fit need. There are two methods commonly used to insert genes into plants.

One widely-used transgenic technique involves Agrobacterium tumefaciens bacteria as a gene transportation medium. Scientists introduce a gene into bacteria prior to plant inoculation. Bacteria then release desired DNA into plant cell nuclei and gene expression proceeds normally.

An alternative method, called biolistic transformation, involves the use of a gene gun to launch desired genes at clusters of plant cells. Some of the clusters will land inside cell nuclei, where the introduced DNA will integrate with the plant’s genome for expression.

Regardless of technique, using plants to create proteins eliminates the threat of human pathogen contamination which is possible with animal-derived mediums. Plants and animals do not share common pathogens, so a potential infection present at the time of harvesting will have no effect on protein recipients.

 

Image Credit: HPR2

Image of the Day: CDC Ebola Infographic!

by juliadhomstad, posted in Images

Ebola Infographic CDCOne thing you may not know about me is that I absolutely LOVE CDC infographics!

After this weekend’s events in Liberia, when people were seen carrying out bloody and fluid filled mattresses and other bedding, let’s take a look at how Ebola is actually transferred.

Please post this through your social media connections so we can work on spreading the correct information about the virus.