High Rates of Detection of Clade 2.3.4.4 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5 Viruses in Wild Birds in the Pacific Northwest During the Winter of 2014–15

SUMMARY. In 2014, clade 2.3.4.4 H5N8 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses spread across the Republic of Korea and ultimately were reported in China, Japan, Russia, and Europe. Mortality associated with a reassortant HPAI H5N2 virus was detected in poultry farms in western Canada at the end of November. The same strain (with identical genetic structure) was then detected in free-living wild birds that had died prior to December 8, 2014, of unrelated causes in Whatcom County, Washington, U. S. A., in an area contiguous with the index Canadian location. A gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) that had hunted and fed on an American wigeon (Anas americana) on December 6, 2014, in the same area, and died 2 days later, tested positive for the Eurasian-origin HPAI H5N8. Subsequently, an active surveillance program using hunter-harvested waterfowl in Washington and Oregon detected 10 HPAI H5 viruses, of three different subtypes (four H5N2, three H5N8, and three H5N1) with four segments in common (HA, PB2, NP, and MA). In addition, a mortality-based passive surveillance program detected 18 HPAI (14 H5N2 and four H5N8) cases from Idaho, Kansas, Oregon, Minnesota, Montana, Washington, and Wisconsin. Comparatively, mortality-based passive surveillance appears to have detected these HPAI infections at a higher rate than active surveillance during the period following initial introduction into the United States. RESUMEN. Altas tasas de detección del virus de influenza aviar altamente patógeno H5 clado 2.3.4.4 en aves silvestres en la parte noroeste del Pacífico durante el invierno 2014-15. En 2014, los virus de influenza aviar altamente patógenos H5N8 clado 2.3.4.4 se diseminaron a través de la República de Corea y posteriormente, se reportaron en China, Japón, Rusia y Europa. Se detectó mortalidad asociada con un virus reacomodado altamente patógeno de influenza aviar H5N2 en granjas avícolas en el oeste de Canadá a finales de noviembre. Se detectó entonces la misma cepa (con estructura genética idéntica) en aves silvestres de vida libre que habían muerto antes del 8 de diciembre del 2014 por causas no relacionadas en el Condado de Whatcom, Washington, en los Estados Unidos, en una zona contigua con la ubicación del caso índice en Canadá. Un halcón gerifalte (Falco rusticolus) que había cazado y se había alimentado de un silbón americano (Anas americana) el 6 de diciembre del 2014, en la misma zona, y que murió dos días después, resultó positivo a la presencia del virus de alta patogenicidad de origen euroasiático H5N8. Posteriormente, un programa de vigilancia activa basado en el muestreo de aves acuáticas cazadas y recolectadas en Washington y Oregón detectó diez virus de influenza aviar altamente patógena H5 de tres subtipos diferentes (cuatro del subtipo H5N2, tres del subtipo H5N8 y tres subtipo H5N1) con cuatro segmentos en común (HA, PB2, NP, y MA ). Además, mediante un programa de vigilancia pasiva basado en el muestreo de aves muertas se detectaron 18 virus de influenza aviar de alta patogenicidad (catorce subtipo H5N2 y cuatro H5N8) en Idaho, Kansas, Oregón, Minnesota, Montana, Washington y Wisconsin. Comparativamente, la vigilancia pasiva basada en la mortalidad parece haber detectado estas infecciones del virus de influenza de alta patogenicidad en un porcentaje mayor en comparación con la vigilancia activa durante este período después de la introducción inicial en los Estados Unidos

Novel Eurasian Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A H5 Viruses in Wild Birds, Washington, USA, 2014

The novel Eurasian lineage clade 2.3.4.4 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N8) virus (http://www.who.int/influenza/gisrs_laboratory/h5_nomenclature_clade2344/en/) spread rapidly and globally during 2014, substantially affecting poultry populations. The first outbreaks were reported during January 2014 in chickens and domestic ducks in South Korea and subsequently in China and Japan (1–4), reaching Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom by November 2014 and Italy in early December 2014 (5). Also in November 2014, a novel HPAI H5N2 virus was reported in outbreaks on chicken and turkey farms in Fraser Valley, British Columbia, Canada (5). This H5N2 influenza virus is a reassortant that contains the Eurasian clade 2.3.4.4 H5 plus 4 other Eurasian genes (polymerase acidic protein subunit, matrix protein, polymerase basic protein subunit [PB] 2, nonstructural protein) and 3 North American wild bird lineage genes (neuraminidase [NA], nucleoprotein, PB1) (5). Taiwan has recently reported novel reassortants of the H5 clade 2.3.4.4 with other Eurasian viruses (H5N2, H5N3)

Evaluation of [(18)F]gefitinib as a molecular imaging probe for the assessment of the epidermal growth factor receptor status in malignant tumors

PURPOSE: Gefitinib, an inhibitor of the epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase (EGFR-TK), has shown potent effects in a subset of patients carrying specific EGFR-TK mutations in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. In this study, we asked whether PET with [(18)F]gefitinib may be used to study noninvasively the pharmacokinetics of gefitinib in vivo and to image the EGFR status of cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Synthesis of [(18)F]gefitinib has been previously described. The biodistribution and metabolic stability of [(18)F]gefitinib was assessed in mice and vervet monkeys for up to 2 h post injection by both micropositron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) scans and postmortem ex vivo tissue harvesting. Uptake levels of radiolabeled gefitinib in EGFR-expressing human cancer cell lines with various levels of EGFR expression or mutation status were evaluated both in vivo and in vitro. RESULTS: MicroPET/CT scans in two species demonstrated a rapid and predominantly hepatobiliary clearance of [(18)F]gefitinib in vivo. However, uptake levels of radiolabeled gefitinib, both in vivo and in vitro, did not correlate with EGFR expression levels or functional status. This unexpected observation was due to high nonspecific, nonsaturable cellular uptake of gefitinib. CONCLUSION: The biodistribution of the drug analogue [(18)F]gefitinib suggests that it may be used to assess noninvasively the pharmacokinetics of gefitinib in patients by PET imaging. This is of clinical relevance, as insufficient intratumoral drug concentrations are considered to be a factor for resistance to gefitinib therapy. However, the highly nonspecific cellular binding of [(18)F]gefitinib may preclude the use of this imaging probe for noninvasive assessment of EGFR receptor status in patients

Novel Eurasian Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A H5 Viruses in Wild Birds, Washington, USA, 2014

Novel Eurasian lineage avian influenza A(H5N8) virus has spread rapidly and globally since January 2014. In December 2014, H5N8 and reassortant H5N2 viruses were detected in wild birds in Washington, USA, and subsequently in backyard birds. When they infect commercial poultry, these highly pathogenic viruses pose substantial trade issues

Extreme mortality and reproductive failure of common murres resulting from the northeast Pacific marine heatwave of 2014-2016.

About 62,000 dead or dying common murres (Uria aalge), the trophically dominant fish-eating seabird of the North Pacific, washed ashore between summer 2015 and spring 2016 on beaches from California to Alaska. Most birds were severely emaciated and, so far, no evidence for anything other than starvation was found to explain this mass mortality. Three-quarters of murres were found in the Gulf of Alaska and the remainder along the West Coast. Studies show that only a fraction of birds that die at sea typically wash ashore, and we estimate that total mortality approached 1 million birds. About two-thirds of murres killed were adults, a substantial blow to breeding populations. Additionally, 22 complete reproductive failures were observed at multiple colonies region-wide during (2015) and after (2016-2017) the mass mortality event. Die-offs and breeding failures occur sporadically in murres, but the magnitude, duration and spatial extent of this die-off, associated with multi-colony and multi-year reproductive failures, is unprecedented and astonishing. These events co-occurred with the most powerful marine heatwave on record that persisted through 2014-2016 and created an enormous volume of ocean water (the "Blob") from California to Alaska with temperatures that exceeded average by 2-3 standard deviations. Other studies indicate that this prolonged heatwave reduced phytoplankton biomass and restructured zooplankton communities in favor of lower-calorie species, while it simultaneously increased metabolically driven food demands of ectothermic forage fish. In response, forage fish quality and quantity diminished. Similarly, large ectothermic groundfish were thought to have increased their demand for forage fish, resulting in greater top-predator demands for diminished forage fish resources. We hypothesize that these bottom-up and top-down forces created an "ectothermic vise" on forage species leading to their system-wide scarcity and resulting in mass mortality of murres and many other fish, bird and mammal species in the region during 2014-2017

Frieden und Globalisierung

publishe