Aids may help spread of bird flu

[Guest guest]

Hi Dave, I am sure that you are right. This may be the article from

our files that I was thinking of. I am not certain yet.

Aids may help spread of bird flu By Roland Pease BBC science

correspondent

It is feared bird flu will jump from human to human

Bird flu could readily mutate into a pandemic form if it infects

people with Aids, a flu expert has warned.

Dr Webster said it was possible people with Aids, who have

depressed immune systems, could harbour the deadly H5N1 strain of bird

flu.

This would potentially give it the opportunity to become better

adapted - and more dangerous - to humans.

Dr Webster was speaking at a conference organised by the Council on

Foreign Relations in New York.

At present, H5N1 cannot pass easily from human to human. It has so far

infected around 125 people in South East Asia, but most of these have

had close contact with infected birds.

Experts fear that the widespread infection of birds in this region,

coupled with the close mixing of birds and people, could lead to the

virus evolving to pose a more deadly threat.

But Dr Webster, of St Jude Children's Research Hospital im Memphis,

said the key could be when H5N1 reaches East Africa, where HIV/Aids is

rife.

Cannot clear virus

He said experience with immune-compromised cancer patients at his

hospital had showed they are unable to clear normal flu virus from

their systems, and can shed copies of the virus for weeks.

The same could be expected of AIDS patients coming down with H5N1, he

said.

" We're all very worried by the prospect, " he told the BBC.

Reproducing over a long period inside a human would be the ideal

conditions for more infectious forms of the virus to develop.

H5N1 has not reached East Africa yet, but it is the final destination

for many birds currently migrating from infected areas.

Officials at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation expect to arrive

there soon.

They believe that because the social conditions are close to those in

Asia, and farming practices are similar, the virus could take a grip

among poultry as it has in Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and China.

Health expert Laurie Garrett adds that with malaria, tuberculosis and

HIV already widespread in Africa, it will be difficult to single out

the symptoms of bird flu in new victims - high fever and nausea.

The situation is compounded by the parlous state of the health systems

across the continent.

The direct effect of H5N1 on people with Aids is hard to predict.

The H5N1 virus overstimulates the immune system, and many of its

powerful effects are caused by what medical expert call a " cytokine

storm " , after the immune molecules excited by the disease.

It was the cytokine storm that overwhelmed so many victims of the 1918

flu pandemic. Aids patients may be spared that fate.

But equally possible, with their immune defences down, they could

succumb easily to the disease.

" In that situation, " said Laurie Garrett, " vast populations of HIV

positive people could be obliterated by the pandemic flu. "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4444940.stm

[Guest guest]

Lee, I think that there is no doubt that flu virus would overwhelm AIDS patients, and since the African continent is rife with AIDS, they will feel the affects more than anyone else. AIDS patients suffer from a number of infectious diseases, from fungal diseases, MDR tuberculosis, and bacteria. In fact, it was a preponderance of a rare infectious disease in gay men that led to the discovery of AIDS and HIV. Their immune system is nearly destroyed. But it is a great leap from this to having a disease caused by a recombination of HIV and pandemic flu. I think what is really meant here is that AIDS patients could be an incubator for bird flu to mutate to a human form. DaveLee <jackalope_lepus@...> wrote: Hi Dave, I am sure that you are right. This may be the article fromour files that I was thinking of. I am not certain yet.Aids may help spread of bird flu By Roland Pease BBC sciencecorrespondent It is feared bird flu will jump from human to human Bird flu could readily mutate into a pandemic form if it infectspeople with Aids, a flu expert has warned. Dr Webster said it was possible people with Aids, who havedepressed immune systems, could harbour the deadly H5N1 strain of birdflu. This would potentially give it the opportunity to become betteradapted - and more dangerous - to humans. Dr Webster was speaking at

a conference organised by the Council onForeign Relations in New York. At present, H5N1 cannot pass easily from human to human. It has so farinfected around 125 people in South East Asia, but most of these havehad close contact with infected birds. Experts fear that the widespread infection of birds in this region,coupled with the close mixing of birds and people, could lead to thevirus evolving to pose a more deadly threat. But Dr Webster, of St Jude Children's Research Hospital im Memphis,said the key could be when H5N1 reaches East Africa, where HIV/Aids isrife. Cannot clear virus He said experience with immune-compromised cancer patients at hishospital had showed they are unable to clear normal flu virus fromtheir systems, and can shed copies of the virus for weeks. The same could be expected of AIDS patients coming down with H5N1, hesaid. "We're all very worried by the prospect," he told the

BBC. Reproducing over a long period inside a human would be the idealconditions for more infectious forms of the virus to develop. H5N1 has not reached East Africa yet, but it is the final destinationfor many birds currently migrating from infected areas. Officials at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation expect to arrivethere soon. They believe that because the social conditions are close to those inAsia, and farming practices are similar, the virus could take a gripamong poultry as it has in Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and China. Health expert Laurie Garrett adds that with malaria, tuberculosis andHIV already widespread in Africa, it will be difficult to single outthe symptoms of bird flu in new victims - high fever and nausea. The situation is compounded by the parlous state of the health systemsacross the continent. The direct effect of H5N1 on people with Aids is hard to predict. The H5N1

virus overstimulates the immune system, and many of itspowerful effects are caused by what medical expert call a "cytokinestorm", after the immune molecules excited by the disease. It was the cytokine storm that overwhelmed so many victims of the 1918flu pandemic. Aids patients may be spared that fate. But equally possible, with their immune defences down, they couldsuccumb easily to the disease. "In that situation," said Laurie Garrett, "vast populations of HIVpositive people could be obliterated by the pandemic flu." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4444940.stm

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