Deadly H7N9 virus develops

Evolving: Deadly H7N9 virus develops drug-resistance to Tamiflu




The Extinction Protocol



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May 20th, 2013
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With new H7N9 cases waning, the worst thing humans can do right now
is let their guard down about the potential dangers of this deadly new
virus. The microbe is always mutating and evolving, as a virulent living
force of nature and natural selection.

TAIPEI, Taiwan - The only H7N9 patient so far in Taiwan was carrying
two strains of the same virus, with one being drug resistant and the
other not, making it tricky to treat to him, doctors said. Huang Li-min,
a doctor from National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), explained
that it was possible the avian flu virus was not drug resistant when the
patient was first infected, but mutated later to become resistant to
Tamiflu.

With Tamiflu failing, NTUH later switched to another intravenous
drug, Huang said. Because of the presence of the two strains
simultaneously, it was difficult for doctors to determine how much the
virus’ drug resistance had undermined the therapy Chou Chi-hao, deputy
director-general of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), said it is
natural for viruses to mutate, saying the H1N1 flu strain mutated after
infecting human beings.

But Huang said H7N9 has limited chances of human-to-human
transmission through respiratory secretions because the virus has
difficulty surviving the environments of human upper respiratory
systems. Patients do not have symptoms of a runny nose or sneezing. The
patient, surnamed Lee, got sick on April 12, three days after returning
from a business trip in China. His condition was initially critical, but
has improved much.

He has already been transferred from the intensive care unit to an
ordinary ward at NTUH. The findings by the NTUH and CDC about H7N9 are
to be published in a local medical journal next month. Resistance is of
concern in the scenario of an influenza pandemic (Wong and Yuen 2005),
and may be more likely to develop in avian influenza than seasonal
influenza due to the potentially longer duration of infection by novel
viruses.



source:-
http://www.thedailysheeple.com/evolving-deadly-h7n9-virus-develops-drug-resistance-to-tamiflu_052013