- Recombinomics Commentary
- By Dr. Henry L. Niman, PhD
- May 7, 2005
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- The inability of the WHO to detect or monitor WSN/33
in Korea raises serious questions. The sequences
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- A/swine/Korea/S10/2004 (H1N1)
- A/swine/Korea/S175/2004 (H1N1)
- A/swine/Korea/S109/2004 (H9N2)
- A/swine/Korea/S190/2004 (H9N2)
- A/swine/Korea/S81/2004 (H9N2)
- A/swine/Korea/S83/2004 (H9N2)
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- were publicly available at the end of November, 2004.
The WHO was warned of the danger, and six sequences of eight genes were
publicly available at GenBank. A cursory examination of the public data
indicated that contamination was an unlikely explanation. The WHO was
given a detailed analysis of why contamination was unlikely.
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- It is unclear if WHO seriously looked at the public data.
Instead they relied on speculation by one of their consultants that the
sequences were a contaminant. Moreover, they spent the last five months
trying to prove the speculation was correct. The efforts were a dismal
failure, because the evidence for the speculation was a disputed shipment
of the WSN/33 virus to Korea.
-
- The WHO did not offer any evidence to inquiring journalists.
They apparently floated nonsense about 30 sequences of eight genes from
six isolates possibly being an uploading error, even though the WHO was
well aware of a manuscript detailing the fact that the isolates were reassortants
between H9N2 avian genes and H1N1 WSN/33 genes. The WHO stonewalling effectively
closed out any public awareness of the public health problem. WHO issued
a few comments to Nature and Science. They also prepared an announcement,
but it remains unclear if that announcement was ever issued. It clearly
revealed the WHO failure to resolve the issue. The WHO called the facts
speculation and the speculation facts, and tried to close the book on the
investigation. The WHO indicated that they did not have time to investigate
"Internet speculation", when the "speculation" merely
stated the obvious from an analysis of the publicly available sequences.
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- It is now over six months since the sequences were deposited
at GenBank on October 24, 2004, yet there is no information on the origin
of the WSN/33 sequences in swine. The 2005 sequences are clearly from
the 2004 sequences, but the source of the 2004 sequences remains unknown.
They could have come from a civilian lab, a military lab, or a bioterrorist
lab. The infections could have been in South Korea or could have been
imported via infected swine from the United States.
-
- The list of serious questions is long and the investigation
of the facts has just begun. Five months were wasted ignoring or trying
to disprove the true facts. The WHO has yet to acknowledge that the WSN/33
sequences are real or what type of investigations are planned.
-
- Monitoring of pandemic influenza has moved beyond scandalous.
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- http://www.recombinomics.com/News/0
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-
- Investigation Of Human And Bird Flu In Swine
On Korean Farms
-
- Recombinomics Commentary
- By Dr. Henry L. Niman, PhD
- May 7, 2005
-
- At this point WHO should be well aware of the fact that
the human H1N1 WSN/33 sequences in swine on Korean farms are quite real.
The sequences at GenBank are not from 30 sequence files uploaded in error
and they are not contamination from WSN/33 in the Sang Seo lab in South
Korea. The case of WSN/33 is not closed.
-
- WHO is now aware of the 9 new WSN/33 sequences from fatal
infections of swine, including 7 sequences from PCR analysis of lung tissue.
The origin of the sequences is unknown, but a full investigation is long
over due. This process requires South Korea to notify the WHO that there
is a problem with influenza infections in swine. These infections appear
to involve Korean bird flu H9N2 sequences, as well as H1N2 and H1N1 sequences
(WSN/33).
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- The H1N2 sequences have been described previously in
swine in South Korea, as well as the United States. The WSN/33 sequences
were first deposited at GenBank in October, 2004. The H9N2 sequences are
most closely related to Korean avian sequences of 2004, which are distinct
from 2003 sequences, suggesting these infections are recent. The H1N2
sequences were first reported in the United States in 2001.
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- WSN/33 was first isolated in London in 1940 in mouse
brains following passage of WS/33 through mice. The first sequences at
GenBank were from the early 90's. Thus, the time and location of WSN/33
infection is unclear. Therefore, an investigation of WSN/33 sequences
in various labs around the world, as well as swine in the United States
would help determine the origin of the WSN/33 sequences in swine on farms
in Korea.
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- Patricia A. Doyle, PhD
- Please visit my "Emerging Diseases" message
board at: http://www.clickitnews.com/ubbthreads/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=emergingdiseases
- Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa
- Go with God and in Good Health
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