Indonesia: Reminder of Poultry Dying With No Symptoms

From Head of Avian Influenza, Zoonosis Research Center University of Airlangga, CA Nidom, posted today, located here:

"Our research states that avian flu has been vaccinated birds can still carry the virus even look healthy," he said by telephone on Wednesday, February 22, 2012.

From an article posted on February 14, 2012, located here:

Alert, Bird Flu Virus Mutation!
Excerpts:
Head of Animal Husbandry and Health of Central Java Province, Semarang District Whitono reveals, some poultry that died of bird flu now has features that are not as usual, ie no black or bluish spots on the comb or body part that is not hairy.
Meanwhile, Head of Animal Health Animal Husbandry and Animal Health in Central Java, Eko Sutarti revealed, though not sure about the new virus, characteristics of birds that died of bird flu part shifted.

"There have been reports from some districts, namely Cimaung, Rancaekek, Nagreg and Soreang who reported any poultry that died suddenly. But after we checked, it turns out negative bird flu," he explained.

From C.A. Nidom, same article posted today:

H5N1 virus will be transmitted to humans through bird droppings. Animal waste will be dried so that the virus carried by the wind. Then the virus is contagious to humans. That is, without someone making contact with any birds, she may have contracted the virus through the wind.

All 40 H5N1 Exposed Ferrets Died
Recombinomics Commentary 15:00

February 21, 2012
“What scares me is that this could happen and this could happen so easily”

….air flowed into the next cage. killing all 40 exposed ferrets.

The above comments are from an ABC news video report on the H5N1 transmission experiments by Ron Fouchier in the Netherlands. His quote above highlights his concerns and the second comment highlights the level of lethality seen for the H5N1 that was used to infect one of the ferrets which maintained its high level of lethality after acquiring the full set of 5 changes in 2 genes. This level of lethality was in marked contrast to experiments by Yoshi Kawoaka which also achieved efficient transmission in ferrets but failed to kill at levels higher that H1N1pdm09, which was used as a genetic background for the H5 gene.
[continued: http://www.recombinomics.com/News/02211201/H5N1_Ferrets_40.html]