Zoonotic transmission: predictive mapping
Barbara Han, a disease ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, N.Y., has been working on mapping zoonoses. Drawing on hundreds of studies of emerging zoonotic diseases that come from mammals, she has tracked what classes of creature harbor the most known human pathogens, and where those reservoirs are most likely to be found. The results, published Tuesday in the journal Trends in Parasitology, are complicated and...
Emerging Respiratory Virus Update: Avian flu, novel influenza, and MERS-CoV
From BCCDC: MAIN MESSAGES Human infections with avian influenza of various novel subtypes (H7N9, H5N6, H9N2, H5N1) have been reported from China recently, notably H7N9 for which a fourth wave of human cases is currently underway. As previously emphasized, avian influenza viruses, like humanized strains, show winter seasonality. Prior human infections with avian influenza H7N9 and H5N1 that were imported to Canada happened at around this time of year, underscoring the need...
Summary of Assessment of Public Health Risk to Canada Associated with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)
From the Public Health Agency of Canada, updated January 15, 2016 The risk assessment is reviewed on a regular basis and updated as required. Risk Assessment The public health risk posed by MERS-CoV to Canada is considered low based on available information at this time. The risk may change as new information arises. MERS-CoV is considered a zoonotic virus that can lead to secondary infections among people. Many community-acquired infections are thought to be associated with...
Case control study for MERS-CoV risk factors
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have published a study on Risk Factors for Primary Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Illness in Humans, Saudi Arabia, 2014. Read the full article in CDC Emerging Infectious Diseases, Volume 22, Number 1—January 2016., Produced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), this highly-magnified, digitally-colorized scanning electron micrograph (SEM) reveals ultrastructural details at the site of interaction of numerous yellow-colored Middle East respiratory...