Epidemics and Pandemics
Influenza is a serious respiratory illness which can be debilitating and cause complications that lead to hospitalisation and death, especially in the elderly. Every year, the global burden of influenza epidemics is believed to be 3.5 million cases of severe illness and 300,000.500,000 deaths. The risk of serious illness and death is highest [...]

Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza that regularly cause outbreaks of influenza among pigs. Swine flu viruses cause high levels of illness and low death rates among pigs. Swine influenza viruses may circulate in swine throughout the year, but most outbreaks among swine herds occur during [...]

Students learn about the structure of influenza A viruses, how they replicate in a cell, and how their RNA can reassort when a person is infected simultaneously with an avian and a human virus. Using the student sheet, students make avian and human influenza A virus models, infect a model lung cell, and make a [...]

H3N3 and H1N1 influenza A viruses were isolated from Canadian pigs in 2001 and 2002. These viruses are phylogenetically related to waterfowl viruses and antigenically distinct from reference swine influenza viruses. The isolation of these viruses reemphasizes the potential for interspecies transmission of influenza viruses from waterfowl to pigs in North America.
Influenza A virus infections [...]

Swine Influenza or swine flu is a contagious respiratory disease of pigs, caused by a type A influenza virus. Type A influenza viruses can affect a range of other animals and humans. Like all influenza viruses, swine flu viruses change or mutate constantly. Over the years, different variants of swine flu viruses have emerged, and [...]

According to the World Health Organization, H1N1 Influenza refers to a large group of different influenza viruses that primarily affect pigs. On rare occasions, these H1N1 viruses can infect other species, including humans. The vast majority of H1N1 influenza viruses do not infect humans. An influenza pandemic happens when a new subtype emerges that has [...]

Based on experimental inoculation of chickens and sequence of amino acids at cleavage site, H9N2 AIV is pathotyped as low pathogenic avian influenza virus. But our extensive field experiences during last decade show serious disease problems and high mortality associated with this subtype in some Asian countries. One of the possible explanations for such a [...]

One of the first signs of trouble was a barking cough that resounded through a North Carolina farm in August 1998. Every pig in an operation of 2400 animals sickened, with symptoms similar to those caused by the human flu: high fever, poor appetite, and lethargy. Pregnant sows were hit hardest, and almost 10% aborted [...]

Influenza A virus infections in animals are important contributors to the evolution of human influenza viruses (41, 65, 66, 68). In particular, waterfowl and seabirds constitute a global reservoir of all 15 hemagglutinin (HA) and 9 neuraminidase (NA) subtypes of influenza A viruses (15, 65, 66, 68). Viruses from waterfowl reassorted with existing human influenza [...]

What is Swine Influenza? Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus. Swine influenza viruses may circulate among swine throughout the year, but most outbreaks occur during the late fall and winter months similar to outbreaks in humans.
Can humans catch swine flu? Swine flu viruses do not [...]

Collection of specimens for pandemic influenza is slightly different from the usual collection procedures for seasonal influenza. Nasal washings are not an FDA approved specimen source for the pandemic influenza assay released by the CDC on May 1, 2009. Hopefully, this situation will change soon. We understand that many providers use nasal wash as a [...]

Pandemic influenza is a global outbreak of disease that occurs when a new strain of influenza virus appears, which causes serious illness and death in humans and is easily spread from person to person. In recent weeks, there have been multiple cases of Swine-origin Influenza Type A/H1N1. This new strain is unique; and has not [...]