Wüstenschiff

Neues Virus fordert in Südafrika vier Tote

Ein neues, bisher unbekanntes und für Menschen tödliches Virus haben Mediziner in Südafrika und Sambia identifiziert. Das Virus verursacht grippeartige Symptome, Durchfall und masernähnliche Ausschläge, Leberschäden sowie Atemwegs- und Kreislaufkollaps. Begonnen hat alles bei einer Safariführerin. mehr...

Grüsse
Alexander

Forscher entdecken in Afrika neues Killervirus

Forscher haben in Afrika ein neues tödliches Virus entdeckt. «Lujo» führt ebenso wie das Ebola-Virus zu schweren Blutungen. In Sambia und Südafrika infizierten sich im Herbst fünf Menschen mit dem Virus, vier von ihnen starben. Ein fünfter Patient habe überlebt, möglicherweise wegen der Medikamente, die die Forscher empfohlen hätten, berichtete der Epidemiologe Ian Lipkin von der Columbia Universität. mehr...

Grüsse
Alexander

LUJO VIRUS, A NOVEL ARENAVIRUS - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA
********************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: Sat 30 May 2009
Source: PLoS Pathogens, May 2009 [edited]
<http://www.plospathogens.org/article/in ... at.1000455>


[The background and events leading to the discovery of this novel
arenavirus associated with an outbreak of lethal hemorrhagic fever in
Southern Africa in 2008 have been described previously in the
ProMED-mail archived reports listed below. The publication in the
current issue of PLoS Pathogens describes the characterisation of this
novel pathogen.

This paper demonstrates the power of pyrosequencing for the rapid
identification of new pathogens. In this instance, sequences were
obtained within 72 hours of receipt of clinical specimens. Lujo virus
appears to be highly lethal in humans, based on the deaths of 4 out of
5 of the infected patients. Now that the sequence of Lujo virus is
known, reagents can be produced which will enable rapid identification
of new cases by more conventional diagnostic approaches such as RT-PCR
(reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction). Lujo is a new
member of the family _Arenaviridae_ and is genetically distinct from
other Old and New World arenaviruses.

The species name Lujo virus proposed by the authors has not yet been
approved by the ICTV (International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses).
- Mod.CP]

Title: Genetic Detection and Characterization of Lujo virus, a New
Hemorrhagic Fever-Associated Arenavirus from Southern Africa

Authors: Thomas Briese1*, Janusz T. Paweska2, Laura K. McMullan3,
Stephen K. Hutchison4, Craig Street1, Gustavo Palacios1, Marina L.
Khristova5, Jacqueline Weyer2, Robert Swanepoel2, Michael Egholm4,
Stuart T. Nichol3, W. Ian Lipkin1

At: 1 Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public
Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of
America, 2 Special Pathogens Unit, National Institute for Communicable
Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Sandringham, South
Africa, 3 Special Pathogens Branch, Division of Viral and Rickettsial
Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta,
Georgia, United States of America, 4 454 Life Sciences, Branford,
Connecticut, United States of America, 5 Biotechnology Core Facility
Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia,
United States of America

Abstract
--------
Lujo virus (LUJV), a new member of the family _Arenaviridae_ and the
1st hemorrhagic fever-associated arenavirus from the Old World
discovered in 3 decades, was isolated in South Africa during an
outbreak of human disease characterized by nosocomial transmission and
an unprecedented high case fatality rate of 80 percent (4/5 cases).
Unbiased pyrosequencing of RNA extracts from serum and tissues of
outbreak victims enabled identification and detailed phylogenetic
characterization within 72 hours of sample receipt. Full genome
analyses of LUJV showed it to be unique and branching off the
ancestral node of the Old World arenaviruses. The virus G1
glycoprotein sequence was highly diverse and almost equidistant from
that of other Old World and New World arenaviruses, consistent with a
potential distinctive receptor tropism. LUJV is a novel, genetically
distinct, highly pathogenic arenavirus.

Author Summary
--------------
In September and October 2008, 5 cases of undiagnosed hemorrhagic
fever, 4 of them fatal, were recognized in South Africa after air
transfer of a critically ill index case from Zambia. Serum and tissue
samples from victims were subjected to unbiased pyrosequencing,
yielding within 72 hours of sample receipt multiple discrete sequence
fragments that represented approximately 50 percent of a prototypic
arenavirus genome. Thereafter, a full genome sequence was generated by
PCR amplification of intervening fragments using specific primers
complementary to the sequence obtained by pyrosequencing and a
universal primer targeting the conserved arenaviral termini.
Phylogenetic analyses confirmed the presence of a new member of the
family _Arenaviridae_, provisionally named Lujo virus (LUJV) in
recognition of its geographic origin (Lusaka, Zambia, and
Johannesburg, South Africa). Our findings enable the development of
specific reagents to further investigate the reservoir, geographic
distribution, and unusual pathogenicity of LUJV and confirm the
utility of unbiased high throughput pyrosequencing for pathogen
discovery and public health.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED Rapporteurs Brent Barrett and Susan Baekeland

[A phylogenetic tree based on the deduced Z amino acid sequence that
shows the branching of Lujo virus at the root of the Old World
arenaviruses can be viewed by accessing the original text, or more
easily by accessing the Virolog Blog, at:
<http://www.virology.ws/2009/05/29/lujo- ... rn-africa/>.
- Mod.CP]

Forscher entdecken extrem tödliches neues Virus in Afrika
14.09.2009 - AFP

San Francisco — Forscher aus Südafrika und den USA haben ein extrem tödliches neues Virus entdeckt, das dem Erreger der Ebola-Krankheit ähnelt. Das Virus löse heftiges und von starken inneren Blutungen begleitetes Fieber aus und sei in 80 Prozent der Fälle tödlich, sagte der südafrikanische Mediziner Nivesh Sewlall bei der Vorstellung einer entsprechenden Studie auf einer Konferenz in San Francisco. Das Virus trat erstmals im September 2008 bei einer Reiseführerin in Lusaka in Sambia auf, die in einem Krankenhaus in Johannesburg in Südafrika behandelt wurde. Wegen der beiden Städte wurde der Erreger Lujo genannt ... mehr

Gruß
Birgitt