CDC: H1N1 genes were in swine polpulation for at least a decade

indigo girl · May 23, 2009

Scientific pulication is a strange business, and in fact it is just like a business. There is much competition. Lots of prestige and/or money goes to he who publishes first. Often only the WHO affililated labs get to see the entire sequences of such viruses as H5N1, bird flu. In that way, only the scientists that are part of that network, have access to the information that gives a full picture of what a virus is capable of doing or where it came from.

There are also the independent entrepreneurs, the mavericks of science like this flu researcher, Henry Niman in Pittsburgh. When I read your post, oramar, I remembered this commentary written on May 3rd from Recombinomics. It seems, at least to my layperson eyes to be reporting some of the same information as the Science study. He then takes it a step further and voices some concerns about what all of this can lead to as well...

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/05030901/Swine_H1N1_H2S.html

The virus is swine, WHO newspeak notwithstanding, and contains six swine gene segments as well as a human PB1 and an avian PB2 that have been in swine for more than a decade. Therefore, although swine to swine transmission is not unexpected, the trans mission from human to swine is striking. The H1N1 is called swine H1N1 for scientific reason. It is not a "nickname" as some media accounts mis-report, but a descriptive name that defines its normal host. The species differences in sequence are easily determined, and species jumps are rare, but can be deadly. Usually the virus replicates most effectively in is host species.
The jump to humans is cause for concern. The last time as swine flu jumped to human and was efficiently spread in the new host was in 1918.

He also out scooped the CDC on predicting that this was the same virus causing strange cases of atypical pneumonia rumored to be occurring in Mexico as well.

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/04230902/H1N1_CA_Swine_Sustained.html

it is also likely that there are additional cases in Mexico, which borders both counties. The relationship of the US cases to reported outbreaks of influenza and atypical pneumonia in Mexico remain to be determined, but the confirmed cases in California represent sustained transmission of a swine influenza in the human population, which is cause for concern.

oramar · May 23, 2009

Five years from now when this is all done playing out Henry Niman is going to be a very famous man when people find out how "right on the money" he has been.