Paradigm Shift Intervention Monitoring
twitter
Commentary
Chihuahua H1N1 Likely Mystery Virus In South Korea
Recombinomics
Commentary 15:30
May 12, 2011
"The results are expected to come Thursday but the genetic test will take more than eight weeks, which means that more time is needed," Yang Byoung-goog, a KCDC official, said. "The virus we have extracted from the specimen was more of an ordinary flu virus. However, we need to look closer into what has caused pulmonary fibrosis."
Although the Korean CDC has yet to provide additional information, the above comments strongly suggest that H1N1 has been identified in the fatal pregnet case (36F) and sequencing is ongoing to determine receptor binding domain changes, such as D225N and D225N.
All eight patients match the demographic for H1N1. Seven were pregnant and the eighth was young adult male (40M).
The Air Force testimony during the 2011/2012 vaccine advisory committee meeting cited H1N1 in vaccinated military or dependents in Korea. The H1N1 was an “Asian” sub-clade. However, the associated phylogenetic tree also included the Chihuahua sub-clade from vaccinated US personnel and the description of the fatal case in South Korea was remarkably similar to the fatal case (11F) in Pennsylvania. In both instances a stroke was cited or suspected, but the serotype was not given.
However, the association with previously healthy young adults, including pregnant cases strongly suggests the involvement of H1N1, and the severe nature strongly suggests the presence of D225N or D225G. The recent linkage of D225N to the upper respiratory tract of severe and fatal cases involving the Chihuahua sub-clade increases the likelihood that the “mystery virus” is the Chihuahua sub-clade and target of the 2011 WHO pandemic alert.
Media Link
Recombinomics
Presentations
Recombinomics
Publications
Recombinomics
Paper
at Nature Precedings