WHO, FAO respond to camel MERS-CoV antibody study

Two global groups weighed in today on a new study that found evidence that camels in two regions have antibodies to Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) or a close relative.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) both said that more study is needed to determine if the virus that infected the camels is the same one that has infected humans. The groups said the only way to determine that is the isolate the virus in animals.

The WHO's comments appeared in an updated background document. It said the study, published yesterday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, provides important clues and paths for further investigation. It said the critical question is the type of human infection that results in exposure.

So far human cases don't have a history of direct contact with camels, and if camels or other animals are the source of the virus, the transmission route may be indirect. The WHO added that it's too soon to rule out the possibility that other animals might be a reservoir or serve as an intermediate host for the novel virus.

The FAO, meanwhile, said in a press release that so far MERS-CoV hasn't been shown to cause disease in animals. Authorities in affected regions are investigating the situation, according to the FAO, which added that it is in close communication with national authorities, the WHO, and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) about the outbreak developments.
Aug 9 WHO FAQ update
Aug 9 FAO statement
Aug 8 CIDRAP News story "Blood study suggests camels could be MERS-CoV carriers"

US lab starts testing Saudi animal samples for MERS-CoV

A US research team has received a shipment of animal samples from Saudi Arabia and has launched testing for MERS-CoV, the Toronto Star reported yesterday.

The work is being conducted by a team headed by Ian Lipkin, PhD, director of the Center for Infection and Immunity at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Lipkin told the Star that there are 130 blood and swab samples of Saudi Arabian animals, including 33 camels, that live near the areas where human MERS-CoV cases have been detected.

An Canadian Press story last month said Lipkin's team collected the samples during a trip to Saudi Arabia in April, but the samples couldn't be readily brought into the United States because of rules to prevent the entry of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), which can devastate cattle herds.

The samples had to be tested at the US Department of Agriculture Plum Island Animal Disease Center, off Long Island, to ensure that they are free of FMD, which still infects animals in Saudi Arabia.
Aug 8 Star report
Jul 8 Canadian Press story

New Cyclospora cases include first illness from New Hampshire

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has received reports of 10 more Cyclospora infections, including the first illness from New Hampshire, according to an update today. The new infections raise the nation's number of cases to 514, including 30 hospitalizations.

So far 17 states have been affected, though the four hardest hit states are Texas, Iowa, Nebraska, and Florida. The latest known illness onset is one case on Jul 24, but most of the onsets ranged from the middle of June to early July.

Federal officials say it's not clear if all the cases in all the states are related to outbreaks in Iowa and Nebraska. A trace-back investigation has linked restaurant clusters in those states to a prepackaged salad mix from a Taylor Farms facility in Mexico.
Aug 9 CDC outbreak update

Early trial finds malaria vaccine candidate safe, protective

A phase 1 clinical trial found an investigational malaria vaccine to be safe and protective against malaria in healthy adults, according to a study yesterday in Science.

The drug, known as PfSPZ Vaccine, was developed by Sanaria Inc, of Rockville, Md. The trial was conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and their Army and Navy collaborators.

The PfSPZ Vaccine comprises live, attenuated sporozoites of Plasmodium falciparum, the most deadly malaria-causing parasite.

The trial involved 57 healthy adults 18 to 45 years old with no history of malaria. Of the volunteers, 40 received the vaccine and 12 did not. Recipients were split into groups receiving two to six intravenous doses of the vaccine at increasing dosages. The subjects were then challenged with bites by P falciparum–infected mosquitoes.

The researchers found that higher dosages of the vaccine were associated with protection against malaria. Only 3 of the 15 volunteers who received higher dosages became infected, compared with 16 of 17 in the lower-dosage group and 11 of 12 controls. (All infected participants were cured with antimalarial drugs.)

"A [malaria] vaccine has remained an elusive goal. We are encouraged by this important step forward," said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, MD, in an NIH press release.

No severe adverse effects associated with the vaccine occurred, and no malaria infections related to vaccination were observed. The researchers also reported good immune response with PfSPZ.
Aug 8 Science abstract
Aug 8 NIH press release

Salmonella outbreak linked to baby poultry grows to 307 cases

The CDC today confirmed 38 illnesses in the past month in a 37-state outbreak of salmonellosis linked to baby poultry, bringing the outbreak total to 307 cases.

The new cases are from 18 different states. Illness onsets range from Mar 4 to Jul 23, with more cases expected.

Patients range in age from less than 1 year to 87 years, but 60% are 10 or younger, and the median age is 6 years. Among 193 case-patients with available information, 49 (25%) have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

Health officials have linked the Salmonella Typhimurium infections to contact with chicks, ducklings, and other live baby poultry bought from multiple feed stores and mail-order hatcheries.

This outbreak is not related to another ongoing outbreak of Salmonella infections from live poultry that involves the Infantis, Lille, Newport, and Mbandaka strains. The CDC said last month that that outbreak had grown to 125 cases.
Aug 9 CDC update
Jul 19 CIDRAP News scan on other Salmonella outbreak