Perspectives on Research with H5N1 Avian Influenza Scientific Inquiry, Communication, Controversy: Summary of a Workshop (2013) / Chapter Skim
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3 Influenza
3 Influenza
Pages 15-28
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From page 15... ...
ebster, W Rose Marie Thomas Chair in Virology, St. Jude Children's Hospital and Director, World Health Organization Collaborating Laboratory on Animal Influenza, discussed the structure and function of influenza viruses.
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From page 16... ...
Regardless, the influenza virus's rapid evolution means that the influenza vaccine must be reformulated each year. Influenza A Viruses and Their Many Hosts Influenza A viruses infect a wide variety of animals that include -- in addition to humans -- whales, seals, pigs, horses, domesticated poultry, and wild birds.
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From page 17... ...
enza sub-types that have been transmitted from wild birds to domesticated poultry. Pigs are potential sources of new strains capable of infecting humans, as pigs are subject to infection by avian influenza, swine influenza, and human influenza.
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In the figure above, white figures indicate instances where the viruses have established permanent lineages, and black figures indicateFiguresporadic viral infection has occurred. Of where 3-2 the 17 subtypes of the influenza A virus, only the H1, H2, and H3 subtypes have R02371 caused pandemics in humans.
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From page 19... ...
What is different or distinct about the science, design and conduct of research, policy implications, or governance of the H5N1 research as opposed to earlier work such as the reconstruction of the 1918 Spanish Flu virus? What lessons can we learn regarding the design, conduct, communication, and oversight of future life sciences research of concern?
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From page 20... ...
Taubenberger's team recovered viral RNA fragments from two f ormalin-fixed samples from autopsy collections in Washington, DC and London and one frozen, unfixed sample from Alaska and used RT-PCR to sequence the fragments. Taubenberger observed that both the public and the scientific community were aware of this research as it proceeded and noted that, in comparison with the reception of the research of Drs.
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This image is a work of the R02371 National Institutes of Health, taken or made during the course of an employee's official duties. As a work of the U.S.
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Specifically, they discovered the importance of the host's inflammatory response on the pathogen's virulence and identified mutations in the virus's hemagglutinin that facilitated the virus's binding to upper airway cells in humans. Taubenberger also noted that this research led to the discovery of a new protein common to all influenza viruses.
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From page 23... ...
Specifically, the hemagglutinin sometimes acquires an insertional mutation of basic amino acids at the cleavage site, which confer greater virulence. Once an H5 virus becomes highly pathogenic in a domestic poultry population, 100 percent of the infected birds die.
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From page 24... ...
In 2006, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases called for researchers to study how influenza viruses move between different animal populations as well as the evolutionary pressures that lead to the emergence of new sub-types, with an emphasis on learning what factors allow the transmission of a subtype to humans.4 In 2009, the WHO recommended that researchers investigate the pathogenicity, infectivity, and transmissibility of influenza viruses.5 Webster noted that various approvals are required before such research may be conducted. These include peer review of the research grant proposal, approval (for some studies)
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From page 25... ...
In the fall of 2011, the NSABB reviewed the two papers and, in Decem ber, recommended that the papers should not be published in full. This decision was based on information that indicated that the resultant strains were not only highly transmissible but also highly pathogenic (the latter in the case of the Fouchier study)
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The redaction of key experimental information might complicate relationships among international parties engaged in, and benefiting from, influenza research. Benefits and Risks Webster discussed the benefits versus the risks of undertaking research on H5N1.
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He observed that there is a great need to develop new families of antiviral drugs as well as a universal influenza vaccine. To the question of whether there is an important distinction to be made between doing research on a naturally occurng pathogen versus a pathogen that has been generated by researchers and may never appear in nature, both Webster and Taubenberger indicated that there is not.
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From page 28... ...
Regarding H5N1, Taubenberger sees value in using reverse genetics to construct influenza strains with specific characteristics in order to study the biology of the pathogen. He believes that valuable information is gained from manipulating the virus's genetic code and studying the effect on the pathogen's phenotype.
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