Both teams avoided the use of pigs that allow influenza virus strains to mix
In two articles published today (February 2) in Nature, members of the United States National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) have for the first time gone on record explaining the reasons behind their decision to “recommend” both Science and Nature to publish only the redacted (censored) versions of two studies on H5N1 influenza virus created in the labs. The Board fears that the information can be misused by some if published in full.
In an interview to Nature, the acting NSABB chair Paul S. Keim explains the several reasons behind the board's decision.
Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his colleagues succeeded in producing a mutant H5N1 influenza virus that had the ability to become transmissible by air. The mutant virus was created by combining H5 haemagglutin with genes from the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus.
However, the team was unable to produce a mutant H5N1 virus that could become transmissible by air without combining H5 with H1N1 pandemic strain. So why did NSABB still decide to recommend only a censored version to be published in Nature? “They provide a method for producing a transmissible H5N1 virus,” Dr. Keim states. “They demonstrate the compatibility of segments of the 2009 pandemic influenza backbone with H5 haemagglutinin to produce a virus that can be transmitted between ferrets [the best animal models that mimic human influenza effects].”
Moreover, the detection in humans last year of a novel H3N2 virus that had reassorted (mixed) in pigs had a great influence in their decision. In nature, pigs act like mixing vessels where various influenza virus strains combine with each to produce a strain that proves to be pathogenic and/or transmissible by air.
Compared to the mutant H5N1 virus created by Ron Fouchier of the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam (the other team that created a mutant H5N1 virus), the one created by Dr. Kawaoka also lacked virulence. Yet, NSABB decided not to clear it for full-paper submission.
“The artificial evolution of a new mammal-adapted H5N1 virus, as reported in these two papers, has removed the natural barriers that might have existed,” Dr. Keim explains.
Dr. Fouchier went about creating the mutant virus by first inserting three mutations in the lab and then passing the virus from one infected ferret to another till it became transmissible by air.
Dr. Kawaoka had also used ferrets. Hence both the teams avoided the use of pigs for the virus to reassort (mix) into transmissible and virulent forms.
Dr. Keim goes further to explain the rationale for requesting the journals to censor the papers. “The laboratory created virus has bypassed the apparent barriers to evolution in the wild,” he notes.
Comments:
These people are bio- terrorists and should be prosecuted and put away after finding them guilty. Such experiments by individuals or nations are to be condemned for the survival of humanity. One mistake in their containment and the humans could be wiped off the planet! Science of this nature has no place in human development and such sinister persuasions in science has to be deplored by imposing severe and merciless punishments. Of course, they will argue by saying,it is for the development of vaccine- which they can make a fortune at a later date!
It is incredible that the industry-funded Erasmus laboratory is actually involved in creating a supposedly 'lethal flu virus', in cahoots with the US National Institutes of Health.How do we know this virus is actually deadly to humans? Of course this cannot be ethically tested…
But now we have the threat of the deadly virus. So what now after this fear-mongering? Is their intention to insist the entire world population be vaccinated against this lab-created virus? The Swine Flu pandemic was a flop, so they want to do a really good job next time and artificially engineer a more effective deadly virus and sell billions of vaccines? Really, you could not make this stuff up… (And have another look at the movie Contagion – pure fear-mongering propaganda for the US Centers for Disease Control.)
Modern civilization's activities are giant ignorant experiments against nature. Mahatma Gandhi saw this at once in 1908 as the imperialists claimed history begins with the white man! He said: Given enough time modern civilization will destroy itself. And in the process life will become extinct. Their systematic destruction of wild life, forests and replacing them with their extractive culture has resulted in proliferation of the deadly dams, coal fired plants, nukes, GMOs without a thought for conservation and return. And the progeny built on modern civilization's excesses declare God(Nature) does not exist! Nature warns that those who disregard her principles will be destroyed. Our culture built on the good points of the sara of the Gita was sytematically destroyed by the imperialists till we became slaves of modern civilization and are building slaves of gravity(dams),nuclears(no energy), GMOs which reduce our immunity to diseases till we are extinct. Go normal, reforest to live!