Did you know that?

Did you know that Chimpanzees are the only species other than humans that can be infected by the hepatitis C virus?  The results from a study using chimps were critical in the development of the monoclonal antibody as is reported here on sciencedaily.com




Source: http://medimoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/hepatitis_c.gif 

Often people wonder what is happening with tax payers money that goes to for example the NIH.
Well in the case of the above study the NIH used some of it to fund this specific endeavour. This research was supported in part by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at NIH. Whereas the Southwest National Primate Research Center performed the chimpanzee studies , supported through a  NIH primate center grant P51 RR13986 and the NIH facilities grants C06 RR 12087 and C06 RR016228.  

Besides the research findings which are only at the proof of concept stage, patients that are suffering from the hep c virus now have a new hope of preventing the virus from damaging their newly transplanted liver. Isn't this what research is all about? Medical progress that eventually ends up saving lives.  For further information on the hep c virus and a new peptide that could prevent HCV entry into liver cells click here.

The WHO publishes a fact sheet on the disease here and in it you will find information on geographical distribution of the disease, transmission, symptoms, diagnosis, testing, treatment and prevention.

Did you know that the World Health Organization also organizes World Hepatitis Day on 28 July every year to increase awareness and understanding of viral hepatitis?
 

Breaking the species barrier

An animal specie can be the unwilling host for a virus or other pathogen. It then serves as a reservoir from which the virus can expand, survive and thrive. When working with the World Animal Health Organization, also known as the OIE a Paris based IGO, I actually learned a lot about this subject. The fact that there are such diseases as the West Nile Virus, Avian influenza, foot and mouth disease or the Henza virus for example that have the capacity to infect humans, is a cause of great   concern. This happens when the disease breaks or jumps the species barrier. Rabies is a typical example.

Source American Society for Microbiology http://mmbr.asm.org/content/72/3/457/F5.expansion.html

We just need to think of the H5N1 pandemic to realize their damaging potential to humans, the economy and therefore our societies. Some food borne pathogens such as E.coli or Campylobacter Jejuni, are carried by poultry and livestock . These biological agents or pathogens can also affect public confidence in the food supply. An international network of disease outbreak surveillance is needed to detect outbreaks early on and limit their extent. This also underlines the need for well stocked vaccine banks. It is essential that the behavior and ecology of organisms that serve as vectors and reservoirs be well studied and understood. Obviously if one were to disallow animal research such defensive or safeguarding systems would become useless and our level of risk increased accordingly.
See this article about the Hendra virus found in bats.

For certain diseases such as malaria for example the host specie can be both human or animal (apes) and the disease transmission vector is the mosquito. A good site about malaria , its origins, treatments etc is found here.
The WHO publishes reported malaria cases on a per country basis here. The reduction of the disease is part of the UN millennium development goals (#6C).

Source US CDC

The United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports WHO estimates of mortality ranging from 708,000 - 1,003,000 deaths for 2008. Current treatments are derived from plant species according to the CDC site. Take a look here for the malaria's parasite life cycle.

The micro organism responsible is called Plasmodium and there exist over a hundred species of them, four of which are known to infect humans (Source USCDC visited 2101-05-31).
A limiting factor for the spread of the disease appears to be cold temperatures (below 20 deg. C) as it prevents the completion of the anopheles mosquito's growth cycle.

So beware of global warming, for over the coming years the boundaries of the disease may spread well beyond its current areas of occurrence. Genetic mutations and viral recombination too make it possible to break the species barrier. One more reason to keep a close eye on what is happening, via animal research, with the evolution of these micro organisms and to get a vaccine ready for a potential outbreak. Aren't we all worth it?

Vaccines and transportation

One can always debate the utility of vaccination. Looking at demographics however it is difficult to deny that human populations across the globe are growing steadily. There are many factors to this growth. One that sticks out in my mind is medical advancement. Large scale vaccination campaigns have contributed to eradicate many infectious diseases. Agricultural advancement is another one, although not the subject of this chronicle.
Take my children for example, from birth on they have been vaccinated on a regular basis, as I have. This build up of immunity against diseases in human populations is a key service to human and animal health and global well being. I for one wouldn't want to loose loved ones to the hands of an infectious disease, when given the choice that is. Neither do you, I am sure. That choice usually is called vaccination.

We just need to look back a few years ago when we were all so worried about the consequences of avian influenza. I happened to be heavily involved at the time (2006), not with finding cures to the disease but with the transportation of  vaccines by air and pandemic preparedness. Refer to this avian flu guidelines cargo june2006 pdf.

When diseases reach the pandemic stage, based on criteria set forth by the World Health Organization (WHO), many questions do come to mind for those that carry both passengers and live animals that may or not be vectors in spreading the disease. Not only may carriers carry sick passengers or live animals but their staff too could quickly be exposed to the disease if it has the ability to spread easily. In these cases having an emergency response plan is vital, not only at the state or country level but also at the international level, hence the WHO involvement. Economic operators such as air carriers need to have their own plans as well.

In addition, once a vaccine has been elaborated and manufactured, which in and by itself  are huge tasks, there remains the transportation thereof to roll out an effective vaccination campaign. Vaccines are more difficult to transport than inert substances, because they are more complex biological substances. Often as a result of stability data studies and the need to preserve effectiveness, they will require transportation within given temperature ranges.  Offering an effective temperature controlled environment is achieved by both active or passive means. Some containers used by airlines or shippers, now offer the capacity to maintain contents within temperature ranges . That was not the norm fifteen years ago. Advances in packaging's too make maintaining the temperature controlled environments possible, through better use of insulation, as do phase change materials.

Fundamentally speaking however, nothing of the above would be possible if there weren't research centers available to find the solutions through research. Using animal models that is.  Welcome to the world of bio containment level facilities, viral pathogenesis and vaccine development, molecular mechanisms and reverse genetics. A world where people like Dr Sylvia Van den Hurk work towards promising technologies that are potentially leading to balanced long-lived immune responses benefiting both humans and animals.
Collectively, let us not forget what matters most and what it takes to get there. It is the least we can do to thank those that spend their lives finding cures or delivering them!