Ebola Virus found in Pigs, page 1

news.bbc.co.uk...

A form of Ebola virus has been detected in pigs for the first time, raising concerns it could mutate and pose a new risk to humans.

Ebola-Reston virus (REBOV) has only previously been seen in monkeys and humans - and has not caused illness.

This is the form of Ebola that Preston wrote about in his book, "The Hot Zone".

The strain has apparently infected a pig population in the Philippines.

If this is true, and happening now, as we are dealing with simple novel flu mutations, it's possible to have an airborne Ebola/flu cocktail, which of course, would be devastating beyond conception.

The GOOD news (if there is any here ) is that Ebola Reston did infect humans but did not induce Ebola-like illness (as far as we were told) and it killed only non-human primates in the Reston lab, from which it escaped. What is worrisome is that the strain has obviously made it's way around the world- and as pigs and humans share nearly as many genes as monkeys and humans, we might have a big problem here.

I know I asked in other posts to put down whether or not this is a bio-engineered virus or a natural one- and band together to fight it with our research- but I'm now convinced beyond a doubt that there have been either ENORMOUS mistakes made in the infectious disease research community, or that this is a bio-bug, for which only some will receive a protective vaccine- and the rest of us seem to be on our own in the desert.

PLEASE- post if you find more info on this---comments, data, anything. This is the most chilling article I've read since the outbreak began.

In peace and wellness

C

reply to post by CultureD

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Star & Flag.

I will watch for further info on this from wiser folks. From what little I do understand, any comment I would make would be next to worthless.

reply to post by CultureD

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Hey, I appreciate you keeping us informed about this development. I clearly am no expert on germs and viruses but I do know that scientists messing around, testing, experimenting with nature is going to be a disaster, if not now, later.

E-Coli found in Nestle Cookie Dough! How? Why? Who?

All of these weird, unusual bacterial, viral strains are becoming more prominent or are they just now being focused on because of the flu pandemic?

From the OP linked source:

Pigs are known to provide an ideal host for viruses to mutate. Experts say the potential risk is magnified because they are an essential part of the human food chain, and come into close contact with people.

AND:

The researchers said it was possible that REBOV originally emerged in another, as yet unidentified, host. Fruit-eating bats have been suggested as one possibility.

From the WHO's ebola factsheet:

Incubation period: two to 21 days.

The natural reservoir of the Ebola virus is unknown despite extensive studies, but it seems to reside in the rain forests on the African continent and in the Western Pacific.

Different hypotheses have been developed to explain the origin of Ebola outbreaks. Laboratory observation has shown that bats experimentally infected with Ebola do not die, and this has raised speculation that these mammals may play a role in maintaining the virus in the tropical forest

I've frequently wondered if nature has a hidden trigger for population control; Once population spreads to a point where the trigger is uncovered, the source is unleashed. Just a thought I've pondered. If such a thing were to exist, perhaps it would be in the deepest part of the jungle.

It's another reason (really out on a limb here) I am concerned about "ancient microbes and bacteria" found under the ice of Antartica being collected and taken to laboratories for study. Ancient = probably something humans have never been exposed to.

reply to post by Hazelnut

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Good point about other illnesses popping up everywhere! E. coli outbreaks in cookie dough- now in ground beef in the Midwest (USA). Whooping cough and measles are on the rise in the states, as is West Nile virus (mosquito--borne vector)-the mosquitos had me wondering. NYC is getting hit hard with flu- and it's been wet and rainy there for weeks- could mosquitos pass flu? Not sure- have to look into it.

And as a final thought- our local pharmacies are holding "Shingles Vaccination Clinics"!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know shingles is brutal- but what blows my mind is that it's a herpes virus (one of about 27 types- from cold sores to Epstein-Barr, Mono, etc.), and when kids get the chicken pox vaccine (chicken pox is a herpes virus), they DON'T get the pox, but are at FAR higher risk for shingles later in life- which can be a good deal more painful and dangerous. When kids DO get chicken pox, as we're meant to as a childhood disease, they have a far lower risk of shingles as adults.

Could we be seeing some younger people developing shingles since the chicken pox vaccine as mandatory?
I'm going to to into one of the clinics and check out the age groups. Even if it's older people, it's a sign of an over-arching cessation of health, IMO- and one to keep watch on.

[edit on 13-7-2009 by CultureD]

reply to post by argentus

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Interesting questions! Surely there are microbes in Antactica- just as there are thermophilic microbes in geysers at Yosemite!

Keep in mind, as well, that while the Ebola vector is unknown, there is a chance it could up- or down- regulate genes in pigs, causing the release of swine-borne pathogens that don't even have anything to DO with Ebola.

99% of mammalian DNA is in introns- "junk DNA"- but most of that junk is left over viral material, oncogenes, retroviral info, etc. You never know what could be turned on- or what safety could be removed- molecularly- by Ebola in pigs, as pigs are not a natural reservoir for the virus, as far as we are aware.

It's a highly complex scenario, I think.

[edit on 13-7-2009 by CultureD]

reply to post by ravenshadow13

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Raven-

I am not at ALL worried about Ebola, itself, mutating from a blood-borne pathogen to an aeresolized one, just because it's in swine. My concern was a simple one- that if the pigs already carry the A/H1N1, that SOME of the Ebola nucleic acids could hop aride on the influenza, and spread in a mutated form- for example, to make this flu more dangerous re: hemhorraging, etc.

I certainly don't think the entire genomic structure of Ebola will change- merely that the risk of assortment in mammalian vectors that might carry flu is a dangerous place for that virus to be.

reply to post by MattMulder

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Matt- I need to check my U2U- will get back to you later today or tomorrow-

Cheers

reply to post by kosmicjack

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Well- I can't say it was released, because I can't prove it....but we all know I think, what went down there.

We had moved from the area very shortly before that happened-eery!

Well i will also attest to the fact that Ebola scares the pants off me too...even the name sounds deadly.I dont think we will be facing an Ebola/swine super zombie virus...but this article makes me hope they never come into contact with each other... afp.google.com...

reply to post by ravenshadow13

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I would have to agree with ya there for one basic reason... Ebola kills so quickly through cell damage that the flu virus would actually be overwhelmed and would not likely be able to co-inhabit the infected cells. From my, albeit limited, understanding of virological mutations, the two virus have to be in the same cell in order to comingle their RNA. So in this case, the fact that ebola kills so quickly is the saving grace.

Honestly, if ebola had flu attributes (i.e. airborne, hibernation period of a few days with no symptoms) that it exhibited before it became hemmoragic, it would be the superflu of legend. High transmission rates and very high mortality rates. Scary thought, but for the moment, not a likely one in the wild.

reply to post by downtown436

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Right, but they can't go airborne.

Ebola spreads really fast and kills fast and if you aren't dead yet, you're transmitting the virus to everyone and their brother.

What other good Ebola lit is out there besides Hot Zone? Umm.. Outbreak. There are others. I'll think of them later.

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