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NEWS EXTRA: Fiona Fleck Experts urge action to stop animal diseases infecting humans BMJ 2004; 328: 1158-b [Full text]

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Announcement

Errol S Prasad   (14 May 2004)

This Gap has Long been overdue for filling

Wayengera Andrew Misaki   (14 May 2004)

Globalization and zoonotic disease spread!

Dr.Naseem Akhtar Qureshi, MD, IMAPA, LMIPS   (20 May 2004)

Announcement 14 May 2004
Errol S Prasad, Clinical Virologist/Immunologist Dynacare Kasper Medical Laboratories Send response to journal: Re: Announcement	A propos to the news itme by Fiona Fleck the readers may be interested in an upcoming conference: 59th International Conference on Diseases in Nature Communicable to Man August 7 - 10, 2004 Endicott College Beverly, MA, USA Contact: Dr John Gawoski e-mail: john.m.gawoski@lahey.org Competing interests: None declared
This Gap has Long been overdue for filling 14 May 2004
Wayengera Andrew Misaki, Editor,Makerere Medical Journal Makerere University,Faculty of Medicine,256( Box No. 7072) Send response to journal: Re: This Gap has Long been overdue for filling	This Gap, to link Human & vetreinary programmes has been long overdue. I am glad that Fiona Fleck reported on it's final acceptance as a global Health gap at the WHO conference on zoonoses. Following the Ebola Outbreaks here in Uganda, I saw the gap early & advanced the then Controversial Evolutionary Adaptaion cross-species hypothesis to explain the origin of these viral Zoonoses. On 20-23rd October this year(2004) at the APECSA biennial conference of pathologists, i will tuckle the issue again...,this time pushing for surveillance for Ebola here as well as funds for assessing the filoviridae serostate of Ugandan & DRC NHPs for ebola virus. The issues pertaining emerging viral zoonoses are addressed in these postulations & their implications: P1 Emerging and re-emerging viral infections have been in existence even before they were isolated or shown to cause disease in humans. They existed in previous hosts called “natural and reservoir” hosts on which they depended for the virus-host cell interaction necessary for viral replication - since all viruses are obligate replicative microbes. P2 With an increasing change in variables among the previous hosts and environment (stability of the virus and chance of contact with new host) there is adaptation of these viruses (not necessary) through mutations, recombination and re-assortment to yield new strains able to use new host (human) cells for replication. P3 The most susceptible new hosts are those whose cellular biochemical environments and genetics favor viral establishment by coding for and producing the energy, metabolites and at most, in some cases all the enzymes required for replication of the adapted new strain of virus. Depending on the endogenous tissue specificity exhibited by a virus however, viral crossovers can successfully occur between host species of variable biochemical and genetic homology P4 Various mechanisms of interaction between previous and new (human) hosts are required to effect the viral crossover. These may be direct (as occurs via contact, consumption of meat for ebola VHF or inhalation of respiratory droplets for Avian flue/SARS) OR Indirect (as occurs through vectors like arthropods for arboviruses and amplifier - link hosts like pigs/birds & civet rats for Avian flue /influenza & SARS). Of particular Global health importance are not so much these postulations however, but rather their implications (I0Ps). I0P.1. All emerging viruses are zoonotic, with a natural reservoir a more likely source of the new virus strain than just spontaneous evolution of a new viral entity. This implies that there are todate various viruses out there in veterinary reservoirs which have not been isolated or shown to cause disease in man, but are potential zoonoses to man. Wild ecologic populations are thus an unexplored source of information regarding viral infectious diseases and criteria to link human and veterinary programmes of health is necessary. Experience with veterinary retroviral and other viral vaccines may be applicable in human situations to control, prevent - let alone develop human vaccines I0P.2. The control of viral zoonoses requires knowledge of the various variables and how they interplay to increase incidence of zoonotic viral emergence and re-emergence. There is thus need to strengthen epidemiologic surveillance and concentrate public health activities in epicenters of new emergent viral infections to study these variables - South East Asia fro Avian flue/SARS and Gabon & DRC for ebola VHF. IOP.3. Innate viral specificity for a particular cell/tissue type remaining a constant, wherever successful viral crossovers have been noticed between different species, these crossovers can play a role in the in the study of evolutionary trends. Thus restriction of contact between man and his close phylogenetic relatives like NHPs known to be sources of viral zoonoses can play a major role in control of emergent viral infections 8,9. All activities centered around possible reservoirs to human zoonotic viruses should be quarantined & routinely surveyed. IOP.4. Minimizing interactions that increase risk of zoonotic viral crossovers between identified previous hosts and man can greatly reduce incidence of emergent viral infections. Restricting human contact/consumption (of) with caucus of previous hosts for ebola VHF (NHPs),infected bird for Avian flue & civet rats for SARS can play the trick. Respiratory droplet inhalation in the later cases may be prevented by wearing masks as well for Lab scientisits. Arboviruses on the other hand, which have sometime now not paused any much danger to global Health over the recents years may be prevented by vector control-spraying with insecticides and use of Insecticide Treated Nets(ITNs). Xenotransplantation with amplifier-link host tissue(porcine) should carefully be watched histo-immunologically, if not avoided . References: 1.Wayengera Misaki. Emergence of zoonotic viral infections in this era.why? Abstract book and programme of the international students conference on emergencies(ISCE) 11-14th Dec,2001:7 2.Wayengera Misaki. The evolutionary adaptation Hypothesis to explain the origin of ebola VHF. Makerere Medical Journal(MMJ)2002;36:36-37 Competing interests: As a follow up to this thesis we are in the process of securing funds for a proposal to assess the filoviridae sero-state of Ugandan NHPs(Pan troglodytes spp, Chlorocebus aethiops, Erythrocebus patas and Macaca fasciculus) and thus study the relative risk of Humans to ebola VHF from consumption of ugandan NHP game meat. We retain the rights to the originality of this work.
Globalization and zoonotic disease spread! 20 May 2004
Dr.Naseem Akhtar Qureshi, MD, IMAPA, LMIPS, Medical Director(A), Director Of CME&R Buraidah mental Health Hospital,POB.2292, Saudi Arabia Send response to journal: Re: Globalization and zoonotic disease spread!	Sir: This "News Extra" by Fiona (2004) is interesting to humans globally. Zoonotic diseases infecting humans and spreading around the world are mostly fatal on acute or longterm basis and cause considerable economic damage. By nature, zoonotic infective agents are mostly dormant and then why they become active in infecting humans needs discussions and research. Tempering with their habitates, deforestation, logging, urbanization, eating habits, and their ever increasing and close relationship with humans. Evidently, it is not difficult to find one pet animal in each house. According to my analysis, tremendous research on animals, to name some apes, cats, dogs, pigs, sheep, birds, chicken, fish and others is one of the most important factor for the spread of zoonotic diseases around the world. Researchers tend to play with genetic codes of these animals. Insertion and kocking out of genes from one species to another may cause considerable risk and accidentally production of a virus with potential risk to infect humans with unimaginable consequences. Though the discovery of viruses related to AIDS, SARS and spongiform encephalopathies is mysterious but in this mystery researchers apparently play a crucial role. Researchers also need to mend their research strategies on animals. Reference: Fiona Fleck. Experts urge action to stop animal diseases infecting humans. BMJ 2004; 328: 1158-b-0-b Competing interests: We have written a review article on spongiform encephalopathies and it was publised in Saudi Pharmaceutical J.