Flu Scan for Jul 28, 2016

News brief

Flu levels rise in some Southern Hemisphere countries

Flu season markers in the Southern Hemisphere show a mixed picture, with increases recorded in southern Africa and parts of South America, with low activity for this time of year in Australia and New Zealand, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its most recent update.

For Brazil, 2009 H1N1 activity was reported as low, with severe disease indicators continuing to drop. In Colombia and Bolivia, flu activity seems to have peaked in the last few weeks at high levels than in the past few years. The WHO said, though, that flu is rising in more temperate areas such Chile and Paraguay.

Most of southern Africa's flu rise is from influenza B, followed by H3N2. For central and northern Africa, flu activity was generally low, with H3N2 the predominant strain.

Little flu activity was seen in the Northern Hemisphere, where influenza B is the most common detection.

At the global level, testing over the past few weeks showed that 66% of viruses were influenza A. Of the influenza A viruses that were subtyped, 57% were 2009 H1N1.
Jul 25 WHO global flu update

In flu vaccine developments, FluGen, Inc., a pharmaceutical company based in Madison, Wisc., announced yesterday that a phase 1 trial has launched of its universal flu vaccine. Called RedeeFlu, the vaccine is made from novel M2-deleted single replication (M2SR) viruses. It is designed to prompt a rapid antibody and cellular response without producing infectious virus. The company said preclinical studies showed superiority against drifted and mismatched flu strains compared with live and inactivated flu vaccine.

In the phase 1 trial, the vaccine will be given to 96 healthy adults ages 18 to 49, and researchers will assess safety and measure the antibody and T-cell response.
Jul 27 FluGen press release

Low-pathogenic H7N7 avian flu found in Denmark

The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) released details yesterday of an outbreak of low-pathogenic H7N7 avian influenza on a mallard duck farm in Brenderup, Denmark.

The farm, which breeds mallards for hunting, does not produce any poultry or eggs. The OIE said 3,050 birds were destroyed after the virus was detected during a routine surveillance program.

Danish authorities said they will be upping surveillance efforts in a1-km restricted zone around the farm.
Jul 27 OIE report

News Scan for Jul 28, 2016

News brief

Hong Kong hospital screening finds MCR-1 in patient samples

Screening of 1,427 bacterial isolates collected from patients in a large Hong Kong hospital during roughly 1-month period in December 2015 yielded 5 that were positive for MCR-1, a gene linked to resistance to colistin, a last-line antibiotic. A team from Hong Kong reported their findings yesterday in a letter yesterday to Emerging Infectious Diseases.

They focused their screening on Enterobacteriaceae and Acinetobacter species, with samples coming from blood, urine, stool, the respiratory system, wounds, and other sterile and nonsterile body fluids, tissues, or swabs.

Of the five that were positive for MCR-1, one was in Enterobacter cloacae and four were in Escherichia coli. Two were from blood cultures of patients with biliary tract infections, one was from a mid-stream sample from a patient with symptoms of a urinary tract infection, and two were from stool samples collected from asymptomatic patients.

Genetic testing showed a 100% match to MCR-1 previously identified in an E coli sample from a Chinese pig farm. One of the patients had lived in China before hospital admission, and one had undergone liver transplant in China. None had a history of colistin treatment.

All five samples with the MCR-1 gene were susceptible to carbapenem, but one of the E coli isolates from one of the patients showed extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (EBSL) activity.

The team noted that MCR-1 detection in the Enterobacteriaceae samples wasn't surprising because of previous findings in Chinese farm animals and retail meat. They noted, however, that finding the gene in E cloacae expands the species known to carry MCR-1.
Jul 27 Emerg Infect Dis report

Study: Third dose of MMR vaccine may help in acute outbreaks

Today the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) detailed the use of a third measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine dose during an acute outbreak of mumps at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne in their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). Though further tests for effectiveness need to be conducted, the CDC said the third booster dose may be a useful control measure during outbreaks.

On May 1, 2015, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) confirmed a mumps outbreak on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s campus, with a total of 317 cases reported over the course of 1 year. The vast majority of mumps cases were in students who had gotten the standard 2-dose vaccine (89%). The IDPH recommended a third dose of the MMR vaccine be distributed at campus health centers. A total of 11,500 doses of the MMR vaccine were administered beginning in August of 2015.

Of the 317 mumps cases, 50 patients (16%) had gotten 3 doses of MMR vaccine, 232 (73%) had received 2 doses, 12 (4%) received 1 dose, and 7 (2%) were unvaccinated. Sixteen people (5%) had unknown vaccination status. The CDC said though more studies are needed, using a third dose on college campuses, or anywhere people live in close quarters, during an outbreak could slow transmission.
Jul 29 MMWR report