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http://noblelie.com/2009/05/13/who-asks ... a-lab-flu/
WHO asks if swine flu is a lab flu
May 13, 2009 @ 9:29 am by Noble
Australian researcher and flu expert Adrain Gibbs has said that, while there are many possible origins for such a flu, the most likely based on its characteristics is that of an “escaped strain” from a lab. He is planning to publish his findings soon.
The claim is at least valid enough to warrant an investigation, and in fact one is taking place now. According to the Edmonton Sun, the World Health Organization is officially investigating claims that the H1N1 swine flu virus is a laboratory strain.
From the article:
TORONTO — The World Health Organization and leading influenza research groups are investigating unpublished claims that the new H1N1 swine flu virus may have evolved in a laboratory, not in nature.
The Geneva-based agency was informed of the pending publication over the weekend by the author, a retired Australian virologist named Adrian Gibbs.
It scrambled to draw in researchers from leading human and animal influenza laboratories around the world in a bid to determine if the claim has merit and if it does, whether that changes the advice WHO gives member countries on the threat posed by the new H1N1 swine flu virus.
The WHO’s leading flu scientist said the consultation is still ongoing and a conclusion hasn’t been reached, but the weight of evidence so far suggests the theory isn’t correct.
“I think the preliminary analyses certainly suggest there are other explanations and that the explanation suggested by the author is not the best one,” Dr. Keiji Fukuda, acting assistant director general for health security and environment, said in an interview from Geneva.
Fukuda said at least one WHO collaborating centre for influenza, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, has done an extensive analysis of available genetic sequence data for swine influenza viruses. That work does not support the claim made by Gibbs, he said.
Another interesting bit:
Gibbs apparently claims that the virus bears the hallmarks of having undergone “accelerated evolution” such as what happens when flu viruses try to adapt to growth in eggs.
But the head of the CDC’s influenza division, Dr. Nancy Cox, said her labs and others cannot find evidence to support the claim that the virus has undergone accelerated evolution.
Italian influenza researcher Dr. Ilaria Capua said there is too little known about swine influenza virus evolution to make the claim in the first place.
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http://kentuckylaketimes.com/global09/s ... 061001.php
Flu expert says swine flu may be a laboratory escape
Posted on 5-13-09 | International
Australian researcher Adrian Gibbs claims that swine flu was likely created from the result of human error. The World Health Organization, which said the flu could affect a third of the world's population, is investigating the claim.
Gibbs said he plans to publish his research saying that the flu may have originated in eggs which were used by scientists to grow viruses used for research to make vaccines. Gibbs told Bloomberg Television, "One of the simplest explanations is that it's a laboratory escape...But there are lots of others." The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta claims there is no evidence to Gibb's research.
The Australian National University says of Gibbs: "His 39-year career at ANU (John Curtin School of Medical Research 1966-1970; Research School of Biological Sciences 1971-1999; School of Botany and Zoology 2000-2005) was busy and resulted in au thorship/co- au thorship of over 250 publications; mostly research papers but also books and networked publications, including an introductory book on plant virology that was translated into both Russian and Mandarin Chinese.
Throughout his career he has worked to understand the origins and evolution of viruses. This has involved understanding their identification, ecology and host interactions. He pioneered the storage and manipulation of virus data, first as co-founder of the Descriptions of Plant Viruses, then, using computers, founded the Virus Identification and Data Exchange ( VIDE ) database, which became the first component of the database of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTVdB)."
Related:
Biographical information on Adrian Gibbs in PDF
Swine Flu May Be Human Error; WHO Investigates Claim)
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http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/swinefl ... 33981.html
Did the swine flu evolve in a lab?
By Helen Branswell, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Last Updated: 12th May 2009, 3:13pm
TORONTO — The World Health Organization and leading influenza research groups are investigating unpublished claims that the new H1N1 swine flu virus may have evolved in a laboratory, not in nature.
The Geneva-based agency was informed of the pending publication over the weekend by the author, a retired Australian virologist named Adrian Gibbs.
It scrambled to draw in researchers from leading human and animal influenza laboratories around the world in a bid to determine if the claim has merit and if it does, whether that changes the advice WHO gives member countries on the threat posed by the new H1N1 swine flu virus.
The WHO’s leading flu scientist said the consultation is still ongoing and a conclusion hasn’t been reached, but the weight of evidence so far suggests the theory isn’t correct.
“I think the preliminary analyses certainly suggest there are other explanations and that the explanation suggested by the author is not the best one,” Dr. Keiji Fukuda, acting assistant director general for health security and environment, said in an interview from Geneva.
Fukuda said at least one WHO collaborating centre for influenza, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, has done an extensive analysis of available genetic sequence data for swine influenza viruses. That work does not support the claim made by Gibbs, he said.
Researchers at Cambridge University who specialize in the evolution of influenza viruses also challenge the hypothesis, Fukuda said. “They also feel that there are alternate explanations for this.”
Bloomberg News reported Tuesday that Gibbs plans to publish online a scientific report saying the never-before-seen virus may have evolved in eggs.
Eggs are used in laboratories and in vaccine manufacturing to grow up quantities of influenza viruses.
If the virus had spent time evolving in eggs, it would suggest it was not solely the creation of nature but may have been accidentally or deliberately engineered in a lab.
If that were the case, it would of course raise questions about how something constructed in a lab ended up circulating in humans in at least 30 countries around the globe.
“If there was evidence that it was an egg-derived isolate, then that means it’s been handled in a laboratory. And if it’s been handled in a laboratory, then there are different possibilities that you have to think of,” Fukuda said.
“Was this developed in part as a vaccine virus? Was this developed as some sort of research project? And in those instances, was it released on purpose? Was it an accidental release? What would be the circumstances?”
Gibbs apparently claims that the virus bears the hallmarks of having undergone “accelerated evolution” such as what happens when flu viruses try to adapt to growth in eggs.
But the head of the CDC’s influenza division, Dr. Nancy Cox, said her labs and others cannot find evidence to support the claim that the virus has undergone accelerated evolution.
Italian influenza researcher Dr. Ilaria Capua said there is too little known about swine influenza virus evolution to make the claim in the first place.
Capua, who runs an international reference laboratory for avian influenza in Padua, said Gibbs argues that the virus had accumulated mutations known to be seen in laboratory manipulation of viruses, specifically growth in eggs.
But she said the same mutations have been noted in a swine flu virus isolated from a pig in Italy. “So it can occur spontaneously in nature.”
“There is not enough scientific evidence to build this reasoning,” Capua said. “This virus could have generated itself by many ways: In swine or in another host or God or laboratory manipulation or whatever. But we just cannot say.”
“This is not how science works. Science works by building a case. And in this case, at least from what I’ve read, there isn’t enough information to build that case.”
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