From the category archives:

Swine Flu Mutation

Fatal / Severe H1N1 Cluster In India

The above comments describe a cluster of severe/fatal cases in a family in Bhatkal as well as a “point genetic mutation” in three fatal cases in Pune and Nashik. The “mutation” is almost certainly D225G, which has been reported in prior fatal cases in India in the Pune area. This polymorphism is most easily detected [...]

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Iowa Swine Flu Mutation a risk?

The isolate was collected a month ago and the genetic background is similar to humans infected by swine H1N1 in 2007 in Ohio. However, the sequence has also acquired pH1N1 sequences that are found in almost all pH1N1 isolates. Moreover, most of these polymorphisms are non-synonymous and at least one polymorphism traces back to 1918. [...]

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Study Criticizes Swine-Flu Follow-Up

There is too little genetic surveillance of last year’s human pandemic flu, which has gone on to infect pigs in China and is readily mixing with other flus there, according to a study released Thursday by researchers in Hong Kong. No dangerous new strain has emerged, said several experts who saw the study. But in [...]

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NIV detects three new variants of H1N1 virus

The National Institute of Virology (NIV) here has detected three new variants of the H1N1 virus. Fortunately, all three variants have shown susceptibility to Tamiflu , the drug used in the treatment of swine flu. However, with the virus actively acquiring new properties, NIV scientists are apprehensive that it might develop resistance to the medicines [...]

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Detection of the rapid emergence of the H275Y mutation in pH1N1

In 2009 a new swine-origin influenza virus A/H1N1 (A/H1N1 09) emerged, causing the century's first pandemic. Most isolates of the new A/H1N1 09 virus are susceptible to neuraminidase inhibitors, but the H275Y mutation in the neuraminidase gene region associated with high-level oseltamivir resistance has been detected. Using Rolling Circle Amplification (RCA) technology, 96 A/H1N1 09-specific [...]

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Selection of pH1N1 D225G In Swine Lung

In contrast, in lower respiratory tract samples from directly inoculated pigs, with clearly demonstrable pulmonary pathology, there was apparent selection of a virus variant with glycine (225G). The above comments are from the PLOS paper, “Replication, Pathogenesis and Transmission of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Virus in Non-Immune Pigs”, which describes the selection of D225G in swine [...]

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Tamiflu resistant AH1N1 circulating in Vietnam and China?

In our study population, we found no evidence for the spontaneous emergence of resistance in untreated patients. This contrasts with very recent findings of resistance in a small number of Chinese and Vietnamese subjects who had not received oseltamivir prophylaxis or treatment [8,10]. These results have been interpreted as showing that spontaneous mutation can occur [...]

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D225 Swine Flu Mutation not found in mild cases?

In our original study, we observed a significantly higher frequency of D222G in patients with severe outcomes (including fatal) compared to patients with mild disease. In fact, in both our data set and the Hong Kong data, mutant viruses were not found among several hundred mild cases. Furthermore, as can be seen from our published [...]

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D225G – More evidence from Hong Kong for deadly nature of swine flu mutation

In an attempt to understand the relevance of HA D222G substitution among pandemic influenza A (H1N1) causing infections in Hong Kong, HA gene sequences from respiratory specimens and virus isolates of severe and non-severe cases were examined. Cases were individuals who had laboratory confirmed pandemic H1N1 influenza virus by either viral culture or reverse transcription [...]

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Rapid Death in Malaysia H1N1 Cluster Linked To D225G/N?

Although the ministry of health initially tried to claim that neither died from the confirmed H1N1 infections, it is widely known and described in the literature that H1N1 infections can lead to kidney failure (as seen in the mother) or Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), as seen in the daughter. Although diabetes and pregnancies create [...]

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