- A ProMED-mail post www.promedmail.org ProMED-mail is
a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases http://www.isid.org
-
- Confirmation of the Identity of the SARS Agent
-
- Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, News
7-23-3
-
- > An international team of scientists say they have
conclusively identified the virus responsible for SARS. As suspected since
the height of the outbreak, a [novel] coronavirus is responsible for the
disease. "The significance of the paper [published online in the journal
"The Lancet" on Tue 22 Jul 2003; see below. - Mod.CP] is confirming
that this [novel] coronavirus does produce very serious disease,"
said Frank Plummer, Scientific Director at the National Microbiology lab
in Winnipeg. The researchers [confirmed the identity of] the virus by looking
at clinical and post-mortem samples from 436 SARS patients in 6 countries.
They also injected the virus into 4 macaques (a species of monkey common
in Southeast Asia), 3 of which went on to develop SARS-like symptoms.
-
- "Collectively, these results of laboratory studies
of SARS patients and experimental infections of macaques prove that the
newly discovered SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is the primary
causal agent of SARS," said the study's lead author, Prof. Albert
Osterhaus of Erasmus University, the Netherlands, in a press release.
-
- Plummer's team at the National Microbiology Centre was
able to find SARS-CoV in only 60 percent of samples from SARS patients
that they examined. He thinks there's something else going on that scientists
don't yet understand. One possibility is that some people listed as probable
cases actually had something else that looked like SARS. Microbiologist
Dr. Donald Low of Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto said that it is vital
to have a definitive diagnosis for SARS. "That's going to help us,
especially if we see clusters of cases where we were able to get a number
of different samples and if they come back negative, being able to say
this is not SARS." Furthermore, SARS could be a seasonal disease,
poised to return later this year along with the usual cases of cold and
influenza.
-
- -- ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org> > >
The Lancet paper can be accessed online:
-
- http://image.thelancet.com/extras/03art6318web.pdf >
The paper is entitled "Newly discovered coronavirus as the primary
cause of severe acute respiratory syndrome", authored by Thijs Kuiken,
Ron A M Fouchier, Martin Schutten, Guus F Rimmelzwaan, Geert van Amerongen,
Debby van Riel, Jon D Laman, Ton de Jong, Gerard van Doornum, Wilina Lim,
Ai Ee Ling, Paul K S Chan, John S Tam, Maria C Zambon, Robin Gopal, Christian
Drosten, Sylvie van der Werf, Nicolas Escriou, Jean-Claude Manuguerra,
Klaus Stöhr, J S Malik Peiris, Albert D M E Osterhaus. The Summary
of the paper reads as follows:
-
- > "The worldwide outbreak of severe acute respiratory
syndrome (SARS) is associated with a newly discovered coronavirus, SARS-associated
coronavirus (SARS-CoV). We carried out clinical and experimental studies
to assess the
-
- role of this virus in the causation of SARS. We tested
clinical and postmortem samples from 436 SARS patients in 6 countries for
infection with SARS-CoV, human metapneumovirus, and other respiratory pathogens.
We infected 4 cynomolgus macaques (_Macaca fascicularis_) with SARS-CoV
in an attempt to replicate SARS and did necropsies on day 6 after infection.
SARS-CoV infection was diagnosed in 329 (75 percent) of 436 patients fitting
the case definition of SARS; human metapneumovirus was diagnosed in 41
(12 percent) of 335, and other respiratory pathogens were diagnosed only
sporadically. SARS-CoV was, therefore, the most likely causal agent of
SARS. The 4 SARS-CoV-infected macaques excreted SARS-CoV from nose, mouth,
and pharynx from 2 days after infection. 3 of 4 macaques developed diffuse
> alveolar damage similar to that in SARS patients and characterised
by epithelial necrosis, serosanguineous exudate, formation of hyaline membranes,
type 2 pneumocyte hyperplasia, and the presence of syncytia. SARS-CoV was
detected in pneumonic areas by virus isolation and RT-PCR, and was localised
to alveolar epithelial cells and syncytia by immunohistochemistry and transmission
electron microscopy. We conclude that replication in SARS-CoV-infected
macaques of pneumonia similar to that in human beings with SARS, combined
with the high prevalence of SARS-CoV infection in SARS patients, fulfill
the criteria required to prove that SARS-CoV is the primary cause of SARS."
-
- These data establish the principal role of the SARS-associated
coronavirus in the causation of SARS. However, they do not exclude the
participation of other co-factors or agents such as Human metapneumovirus,
although the role of the latter can probably be discounted in view of its
high prevalence in the respiratory tract of the general population. As
Dr. Low points out, these concerns will persist until an accurate diagnostic
test becomes > available. - Mod.CP
-
- > ProMED-mail makes every effort to verify the reports
that are posted, but the accuracy and completeness of the information,
and of any statements or opinions based thereon, are not guaranteed.
The reader assumes all risks in using information posted or archived by
ProMED-mail. ISID and its associated service providers shall not
be held responsible for errors or omissions or held liable for any damages
incurred as a result of use or reliance upon posted > or archived material.
-
- > Visit ProMED-mail's web site at <http://www.promedmail.org>.
Send all items for posting to: promed@promedmail.org (NOT to an
individual moderator). If you do not give your full name and affiliation,
it may not be posted. Send commands to subscribe/unsubscribe,
get archives, help, etc. to: majordomo@promedmail.org. For assistance
from a > human being send mail to: owner-promed@promedmail.org.
> Patricia A. Doyle, PhD Please visit my "Emerging Diseases"
message board at: http://www.clickitnews.com/emergingdiseases/index.shtml
Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa Go with God and in Good Health
|
