PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Distinct avian influenza viruses found in Antarctic penguins

Distinct avian influenza viruses found in Antarctic penguins
2014-05-06
(Press-News.org) An international team of researchers has, for the first time, identified an avian influenza virus in a group of Adélie penguins from Antarctica. The virus, found to be unlike any other circulating avian flu, is described in a study published this week in mBio®, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

While other research groups have taken blood samples from penguins before and detected influenza antibodies, no one had detected actual live influenza virus in penguins or other birds in Antarctica previously, says study author and Associate Professor Aeron Hurt, PhD, a senior research scientist at the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza in Melbourne, Australia.

For the study, Hurt and colleagues collected swabs from the windpipes and posterior openings of 301 Adélie penguins, and blood from 270 of those penguins, from two locations on the Antarctic Peninsula: Admiralty Bay and Rada Covadonga. The samples were collected during January and February 2013.

Using a laboratory technique called real-time reverse transcription-PCR, the researchers found avian influenza virus (AIV) genetic material in eight (2.7%) samples, six from adult penguins and two from chicks. Seven of the samples were from Rada Covadonga. The researchers were able to culture four of these viruses, demonstrating that live infectious virus was present. On further analysis of the samples, the researchers found all viruses were H11N2 influenza viruses that were highly similar to each other.

But when the researchers compared the full genome sequences of four of the collected viruses to all available animal and human influenza virus sequences in public databases, "we found that this virus was unlike anything else detected in the world," says Hurt. "When we drew phylogenetic trees to show the evolutionary relationships of the virus, all of the genes were highly distinct from contemporary AIVs circulating in other continents in either the Northern or Southern Hemisphere."

Four of the gene segments were most closely related to North American avian lineage viruses from the 1960s to 1980s. Two genes showed a distant relationship to a large number of South American AIVs from Chile, Argentina and Brazil. Using a molecular clock to incorporate the evolutionary rate of each AIV gene segment, the researchers estimated that the virus has been evolving for the past 49 to 80 years without anyone knowing about it. Whether this evolution has occurred exclusively in Antarctica is currently unknown, Hurt says.

Additional experiments found that 16% of penguins (43 of 270) had influenza A antibodies in their blood, and that the newly identified virus is likely to be exclusive to birds, as it did not readily infect a group of ferrets used as a test to see if the virus could infect mammals.

While the virus did not cause illness in the penguins, the study shows that "avian influenza viruses can get down to Antarctica and be maintained in penguin populations," Hurt says. "It raises a lot of unanswered questions," including how often AIVs are being introduced into Antarctica, whether it is possible for highly pathogenic AIVs to be transferred there, what animals or ecosystems are maintaining the virus, and whether the viruses are being cryopreserved during the winters.

INFORMATION:

The fieldwork was funded by the Instituto Antártico Chileno (Chilean Antarctic Institute) and the analysis was conducted at the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, which is supported by the Australian Government Department of Health.

mBio® is an open access online journal published by the American Society for Microbiology to make microbiology research broadly accessible. The focus of the journal is on rapid publication of cutting-edge research spanning the entire spectrum of microbiology and related fields. It can be found online at http://mbio.asm.org.

The American Society for Microbiology is the largest single life science society, composed of over 39,000 scientists and health professionals. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences as a vehicle for understanding life processes and to apply and communicate this knowledge for the improvement of health and environmental and economic well-being worldwide.

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Distinct avian influenza viruses found in Antarctic penguins

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Perceived barriers limit WIC CVV use in Arizona

2014-05-06
AUDIO: WIC provides cash value vouchers to participants specifically for fruit and vegetable products, however, researchers have discovered that some barriers to purchasing nutrient-dense foods still exist for WIC participants. Christopher... Click here for more information. PHILADELPHIA, PA, May 6, 2014 – Low-income and minority communities and people participating in food assistance programs are more likely to consume fewer fruits and vegetables, depriving them of the health benefits ...

Early obesity linked to increased probability of severe obesity later in life

2014-05-06
Ann Arbor, MI, May 6, 2014 – Exposure to long-term obesity has become more common with increases in obesity at younger ages. Researchers examined the relationship between BMI at age 25, obesity later in life, and biological indicators of health. They found that people who were obese by age 25 had a higher chance of more severe obesity later in life, but that current weight, rather than the duration of obesity, was a better indicator of cardiovascular and metabolic risk. Their findings are published in the June issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Investigators ...

Factors leading to diabetes may contribute to milk supply problems for new mothers

2014-05-06
New studies provide fresh evidence that the same factors that lead to diabetes contribute to low milk supply in some new mothers. In a study to be presented May 5, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center researchers discovered that problems with mothers' insulin metabolism may affect their milk production. The study found that women diagnosed with low milk supply were 2.5 times more likely to have experienced gestational diabetes compared to women seen at the clinic solely because their infants were having problems latching onto the breast. "We need to better ...

Having eczema may reduce your risk of skin cancer

Having eczema may reduce your risk of skin cancer
2014-05-06
Eczema caused by defects in the skin could reduce the risk of developing skin cancer, according to new research by King's College London. The immune response triggered by eczema could help prevent tumour formation by shedding potentially cancerous cells from the skin. There is ongoing debate surrounding allergic diseases and their impact on the likelihood of developing cancer, with some studies suggesting that eczema is associated with a reduced risk of skin cancer. However, it is difficult to draw firm conclusions based on studies of human populations because eczema ...

Annals of Internal Medicine tip sheet for May 6, 2014

2014-05-06
1. Deaths decline after Massachusetts' health care reform Deaths declined significantly in Massachusetts four years after comprehensive health care reform, according to an article being published in Annals of Internal Medicine. In 2006, Massachusetts enacted a health care law that expanded Medicaid, offered subsidized private insurance, and created an individual mandate. As the model for the Affordable Care Act, effects of the Massachusetts' health care overhaul have important policy implications. Researchers wanted to find out if expanded insurance coverage affected ...

Significant decline in deaths after Massachusetts' health reform

2014-05-06
Boston, MA — In the first four years after Massachusetts instituted comprehensive health reform in 2006, mortality in the state decreased by 2.9% compared with similar populations in states that didn't expand health coverage, according to a new study led by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers. They estimated that Massachusetts' health reform law, which provided near-universal coverage, has prevented approximately 320 deaths per year—one life saved for each 830 people gaining insurance. The study—which provides new scientifically rigorous analysis of whether ...

What fuels Salmonella's invasion strategy?

What fuels Salmonellas invasion strategy?
2014-05-06
Certain strains of Salmonella bacteria such as Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) are among of the most common causes of food-borne gastroenteritis. Other strains of Salmonella such as S. Typhi are responsible for typhoid fever, which causes 200,000 deaths around the world each year. Ensuring food is clear of contamination, and water is clean are key to reducing the effects Salmonella can have, but we also need more effective ways to combat Salmonella once it's inside our bodies. To address this the Institute of Food Research, strategically supported by the Biotechnology ...

Rising treatment costs drive up health care spending

2014-05-05
It's a well-known fact that spending on health care has consistently grown faster than the rest of the U.S. economy. What's behind this trend is less certain. Economists point to two causes: the prevalence of diseases and conditions afflicting the U.S. population, or the rising costs of treating diseases. New research from American University Associate Professor Martha Starr and Virginia Tech Research Professor Ana Aizcorbe shows it is the latter, with higher prices for treatment accounting for 70 percent of growth in health care spending. "Rising costs of treatment ...

Active seniors can lower heart attack risk by doing more, not less

2014-05-05
Maintaining or boosting your physical activity after age 65 can improve your heart's electrical well-being and lower your risk of heart attack, according to a study in the American Heart Association journal Circulation. In heart monitor recordings taken over five years, researchers found that people who walked more and faster and had more physically active leisure time had fewer irregular heart rhythms and greater heart rate variability than those who were less active. Heart rate variability is differences in the time between one heartbeat and the next during everyday ...

Henry Ford Hospital study links social, community factors with hospital readmissions

2014-05-05
DETROIT – Factors like the level of poverty in a neighborhood, living alone, and age affect a patient's chances of being readmitted to a hospital after discharge, even after possible variations in quality of care in the hospital have been taken into account. Those are the conclusions of a new study by Henry Ford Health System researchers who found links between readmission rates and social factors such as patients' marital status and neighborhood poverty, suggesting that readmissions are not just an issue of hospital quality. The study appears in the May issue of Health ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

KAIST Develops Retinal Therapy to Restore Lost Vision​

Adipocyte-hepatocyte signaling mechanism uncovered in endoplasmic reticulum stress response

Mammals were adapting from life in the trees to living on the ground before dinosaur-killing asteroid

Low LDL cholesterol levels linked to reduced risk of dementia

Thickening of the eye’s retina associated with greater risk and severity of postoperative delirium in older patients

Almost one in ten people surveyed report having been harmed by the NHS in the last three years

Enhancing light control with complex frequency excitations

New research finds novel drug target for acute myeloid leukemia, bringing hope for cancer patients

New insight into factors associated with a common disease among dogs and humans

Illuminating single atoms for sustainable propylene production

New study finds Rocky Mountain snow contamination

Study examines lactation in critically ill patients

UVA Engineering Dean Jennifer West earns AIMBE’s 2025 Pierre Galletti Award

Doubling down on metasurfaces

New Cedars-Sinai study shows how specialized diet can improve gut disorders

Making moves and hitting the breaks: Owl journeys surprise researchers in western Montana

PKU Scientists simulate the origin and evolution of the North Atlantic Oscillation

ICRAFT breakthrough: Unlocking A20’s dual role in cancer immunotherapy

How VR technology is changing the game for Alzheimer’s disease

A borrowed bacterial gene allowed some marine diatoms to live on a seaweed diet

Balance between two competing nerve proteins deters symptoms of autism in mice

Use of antifungals in agriculture may increase resistance in an infectious yeast

Awareness grows of cancer risk from alcohol consumption, survey finds

The experts that can outsmart optical illusions

Pregnancy may reduce long COVID risk

Scientists uncover novel immune mechanism in wheat tandem kinase

Three University of Virginia Engineering faculty elected as AAAS Fellows

Unintentional drug overdoses take a toll across the U.S. unequally, study finds

A step toward plant-based gelatin

ECMWF unveils groundbreaking ML tool for enhanced fire prediction

[Press-News.org] Distinct avian influenza viruses found in Antarctic penguins