Thanks for your response, input and compliments Heronumber. Much appreciated.
Originally posted by Heronumber0
My view is that the British Government were creating an atmosphere of fear by exaggerating the facts so that people were willing to give up more of
their rights to people who "knew better." Isn't it ironic that the actual number of deaths made two figures, still sad and we mourn them, but the
figure of deaths did not reach 100 (to the best of my knowledge).
I agree that the world's economic powers will use anything opportunistically, and use any situation to play for power and profit - including a
pandemic threat.
But this does not mean the threat is not real - just that the situation and information is being manipulated to benefit the big boyz.
Ie., "It's not a conspiracy, just good business."
FYI - no one knows how many bird flu cases or flu-caused deaths there have been because
testing is not routine, nor is it accurate.
Most confirmed cases required up to 9 tests before getting positive-for-bird-flu results. Currently, the WHO reports about 157 deaths attributable to
bird flu.
Nevertheless, I think that it is unlikely that there will be a hybrid 0f dengue virus (Flavivirus) and avian influenza (Orthomyxoviridae). You would
need a large simlarity in their respective genetic materials (RNA-ribonucleic acid) for them to "swap" genes with each other.
Microbiologists and other scientists have been warning us for some time that microbes are crossing species barriers. In fact, we now are facing
hybridization across
kingdom barriers.
The Perfect Microbial Storm
Scientists are warning that diseases like bird flu, anthrax and rabies could come together in what they're calling "the perfect microbial
storm."
***
Reuters
"Almost every year there is a new disease appearing, and 75 percent of these emerging or re-emerging diseases are coming from animals; 80 percent of
those have zoonotic potential," he said in an interview.
Le Gall said such zoonoses -- animal diseases that humans can also catch -- included Rift Valley fever, rabies and anthrax.
"These could come together to create what the experts are calling 'the perfect microbial storm'," he said.
The hybrids that appear will depend on what other diseases are co-infecting the host at the time of infection.
The pathway(s) likely involve new strains of the actin protein. Ie., see:
Actin' Like Actin?
The most biologically significant property of actin is its ability to self-associate and form two-stranded polymeric microfilaments. In living cells,
these micro filaments form the actin cytoskeleton, essential for maintenance of the shape, passive mechanical properties and active motility of
eukaryotic cells. Recently discovered actin-related proteins (ARPs) appear to share a common ancestor with conventional actin. At present, six classes
of ARPs have been discovered, three of which have representatives in diverse species across eukaryotic phyla and may share functional characteristics
with conventional actin. The three most ubiquitous ARPs are predicted to share a common core structure with actin and contain all the residues
required for ATP binding. Surface residues involved in protein protein interactions, however, have diverged. Models of these proteins based on the
atomic structure of actin provide some clues about how ARPs interact with each other, with conventional actin and with conventional actin-binding
proteins.
The above study was done in 1996 - and the evidence suggests that new actin strains now appear with regularity. ...And actin is a key that can open
virtually any biological lock.
The greater likelihood is that two Type A Influenza viruses which infects humans, birds or swine are likely to co-infect a herd of pigs and then
"swap" genes from each other from their segemented genomes. This would create a hybrid for which the immune system would not be ready and would
overwhelm the swine.
It would be great if that was all we had to worry about.
But the world has changed - at the molecular level as well as otherwise.
Our 'new world' has a huge number of 'appropriate hosts,' not just swine, and numerous candidate zoonotic diseases.
The fear now is that human flu will hybridize with say, a hemorraghic fever, and confer flu's virulence. The fact that bird flu has become endemic
makes this much more possible and likely - and was predicted decades ago.
...close monitoring and quarantine of people involved in animal husbandry would preclude widespread infection into the wider community.
Even that theory doesn't wash any more. H5N1 bird flu vectors have NOT been identified - but it is clear that the virus is endemic because of its
ability to spread via soil and water,
at the least.
Also, many diseases that historically required direct contact or ingestion now spread via numerous vectors, including being airborne. For example, E.
coli and rabies come immediately to mind as now airborne. Unheard-of and unthinkable, right?
Ie. see:
1,800 Species of Microbial Organisms Found in Texas City Air
A new "bacterial census" using a novel microarray found surprising microbial biodiversity - including bioweapons-related pathogens - in the air
above San Antonio and Austin, Texas. "We're surrounded by bacteria, and they are not necessarily friendly," says Gary Andersen, a staff scientist
at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. J. Craig Venter of Celera fame is sequencing the metagenome of the air above New York City; he says
microbial genetics is complex - and Andersen may be underestimating the microbial diversity in Texas air. "As weather patterns change, different
things go up into the air. We could be changing what's in the air, and unless we know what's in the air now, we'll never know how it changes. It
points to a real need for a microbial census," warns Ventner.
format
[edit on 27-12-2006 by soficrow]
