Tourist Diagnosed With Rare Zika Virus After Returning To Canada From Trip To Thailand

[webfact]

Alberta tourist diagnosed with rare virus after trip to Thailand
The Canadian Press

ALBERTA, CANADA: -- Public health authorities in Alberta say a woman from the province has been diagnosed with a rare virus after she returned from a trip to Thailand.

The woman tested positive for Zika virus, making hers the first confirmed infection with this virus in Canada.

The 45-year-old woman reported having sustained numerous bug bites during a trip to Phuket and Bangkok in southern Thailand in January.

She became ill after returning to Canada but recovered after about 2 1/2 weeks.

However, it took considerably longer to figure out that she had been infected with the Zika virus, which was first isolated from an infected monkey in the Zika Forest of Uganda in 1947.

The health authorities who reported the case said it serves as a reminder to doctors and laboratories that travellers may bring home some rare pathogens that aren't picked up by regular diagnostic tests.

Human infections with the virus have been reported from parts of Africa and Asia. Like the West Nile or dengue fever viruses, it is transmitted to people by a number of mosquito species. And also like those viruses, Zika is a member of the flavivirus family.

Full story: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/story/2013/05/30/edmonton-sika-virus.html

-- CBC News 2013-05-31

[geriatrickid]

The Canadian press article is not accurate. The extensive testing and diagnosis was done in Canada by Canadian scientists and involved 3 well reputed facilities;

1. National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada
2. The Provincial (Infectious Diseases) Laboratory, Province of Alberta Health Services,
3. Specialists from the department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary

The simpletons at the Canadian Press were too lazy to read the submission by Dr. Fonseca, the senior clinical virologist who wrote;

days after the 1st specimen gave a positive result in the dengue IgM antibody EIA, although the IgG antibody was negative, consistent with an acute dengue fever infection. However, the lack of a dengue IgG seroconversion on a convalescent serum and the unusual nature of the rash, prompted us to investigate a probable flavivirus etiology through a molecular approach. Reverse-transcriptase PCR using primers targeting a region of the NS5 gene of the _Flavivirus_ genus was followed by sequencing. The 780 bp sequence obtained from the amplicon was compared to published sequences in the NCBI nucleotide database and showed a 99 per cent identity (769/780) with the corresponding sequences of ZIKV (Genbank nos. JN860885 and EU545988), thereby establishing the diagnosis of ZIKV infection.

In keeping with international protocol and the arrangement between infectious disease national laboratories, a sample was sent to the CDC along with the diagnosis for confirmation and entry into the research data pool.

[sunholidaysun1]

It seems like you can catch most things from an infected mosquito that has bitten a monkey , but not HIV , Im not so sure were being told the truth about anything these days . Please excuse my ignorance .

[geriatrickid]

It seems like you can catch most things from an infected mosquito that has bitten a monkey , but not HIV , Im not so sure were being told the truth about anything these days . Please excuse my ignorance .

It's actually a good question. Some types of viruses/bacteria/parasites are human specific , or have different life cycles and/or have evolved over the eons to rely on specific hosts and vectors of transmission. This particular virus is from the same family as dengue, yellow fever, west nile virus etc. Transmission relies on tics and mosquitos. We can get rabies from an animal bite, but not a mosquito bite. Humans contract genital herpes from direct contact with the virus, but a person that is infected with pubic lice and carrying herpes doesn't transmit the herpes virus when those pubic lice migrate to a new host. Animal fleas may bite humans, but they have a heard time setting up a home because their physical structures are designed to allow attachment to animals with fur.

[apalink_thailand]

It seems like you can catch most things from an infected mosquito that has bitten a monkey , but not HIV , Im not so sure were being told the truth about anything these days . Please excuse my ignorance .

..Humans contract genital herpes from direct contact with the virus, but a person that is infected with pubic lice and carrying herpes doesn't transmit the herpes virus when those pubic lice migrate to a new host....

Its probably best to avoid parts of South Pattaya then.

[moe666]

Fleas do not need to set up a home on humans. I am from New Mexico and every summer there are numerous cases of bubonic plague in humans. The dog or cat goes out to play and comes into contact with a carrier usually a small desert rodent of some sort the cat or dog returns home and the owners or guest are bitten by flea. A few days later a case of bubonic plague normally these cases are contacted in rual area of the state. A few years ago a man and his wife were in New York city when the symptoms appeared and the Drs didn't have a clue what they were treating both patients recovered but the man lost several limps due to infection

[chainarong]

It seems like you can catch most things from an infected mosquito that has bitten a monkey , but not HIV , Im not so sure were being told the truth about anything these days . Please excuse my ignorance .

Anything's possible, because it hasn't happened before doesn't mean this is necessarily the case, it's just not known.

[alant]

The Canadian press article is not accurate. The extensive testing and diagnosis was done in Canada by Canadian scientists and involved 3 well reputed facilities;

1. National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada

2. The Provincial (Infectious Diseases) Laboratory, Province of Alberta Health Services,

3. Specialists from the department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary

The simpletons at the Canadian Press were too lazy to read the submission by Dr. Fonseca, the senior clinical virologist who wrote;

days after the 1st specimen gave a positive result in the dengue IgM antibody EIA, although the IgG antibody was negative, consistent with an acute dengue fever infection. However, the lack of a dengue IgG seroconversion on a convalescent serum and the unusual nature of the rash, prompted us to investigate a probable flavivirus etiology through a molecular approach. Reverse-transcriptase PCR using primers targeting a region of the NS5 gene of the _Flavivirus_ genus was followed by sequencing. The 780 bp sequence obtained from the amplicon was compared to published sequences in the NCBI nucleotide database and showed a 99 per cent identity (769/780) with the corresponding sequences of ZIKV (Genbank nos. JN860885 and EU545988), thereby establishing the diagnosis of ZIKV infection.

In keeping with international protocol and the arrangement between infectious disease national laboratories, a sample was sent to the CDC along with the diagnosis for confirmation and entry into the research data pool.

I am interested to know how you found out that the Canadian Press were too lazy to read the submissions by Dr Fonseca or, if they had not done so, it was because of then being too Lazy? How also did they attract the label "simpletons"?

Whilst your reply gives indications of the virologists findings you do not provide evidence that they did not read it nor that they are lazy and the criteria you used to arrive at the label of "simpletons".

[dressedingreen]

'A few years ago a man and his wife were in New York city when the symptoms appeared and the Drs didn't have a clue what they were treating both patients recovered but the man lost several limps due to infection'

A few mia noi might appreciate their man getting a dose of this infection then, especially if the limp is the beer induced type.

DIG

[dressedingreen]

The Canadian press article is not accurate. The extensive testing and diagnosis was done in Canada by Canadian scientists and involved 3 well reputed facilities;

1. National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada

2. The Provincial (Infectious Diseases) Laboratory, Province of Alberta Health Services,

3. Specialists from the department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary

The simpletons at the Canadian Press were too lazy to read the submission by Dr. Fonseca, the senior clinical virologist who wrote;

days after the 1st specimen gave a positive result in the dengue IgM antibody EIA, although the IgG antibody was negative, consistent with an acute dengue fever infection. However, the lack of a dengue IgG seroconversion on a convalescent serum and the unusual nature of the rash, prompted us to investigate a probable flavivirus etiology through a molecular approach. Reverse-transcriptase PCR using primers targeting a region of the NS5 gene of the _Flavivirus_ genus was followed by sequencing. The 780 bp sequence obtained from the amplicon was compared to published sequences in the NCBI nucleotide database and showed a 99 per cent identity (769/780) with the corresponding sequences of ZIKV (Genbank nos. JN860885 and EU545988), thereby establishing the diagnosis of ZIKV infection.

In keeping with international protocol and the arrangement between infectious disease national laboratories, a sample was sent to the CDC along with the diagnosis for confirmation and entry into the research data pool.

I am interested to know how you found out that the Canadian Press were too lazy to read the submissions by Dr Fonseca or, if they had not done so, it was because of then being too Lazy? How also did they attract the label "simpletons"?

Whilst your reply gives indications of the virologists findings you do not provide evidence that they did not read it nor that they are lazy and the criteria you used to arrive at the label of "simpletons".

Perhaps they were working on the assumption that most of their readers were too dumb to read anything technical. Much of the world's media dumbs down to the lower end of educational attainment.

DIG

[Ragzilb]

The funny thing about HIV, I have seen and read many articles about the subject. and one thing most of the articles have is, HIV actually cures the Cell and rebuild Monkey structure, different from what is does to human cell where the cells becomes inactive and actually makes them inactive. you can youtube many videos about the subject. I dont know if it is real but MANY actually states that statement funny truth if it is real.

Well take care all

[Amras]

The funny thing about HIV, I have seen and read many articles about the subject. and one thing most of the articles have is, HIV actually cures the Cell and rebuild Monkey structure, different from what is does to human cell where the cells becomes inactive and actually makes them inactive. you can youtube many videos about the subject. I dont know if it is real but MANY actually states that statement funny truth if it is real.

Well take care all

I'm not quite sure about that. There is a HIV equivalent in monkeys called SIV (species specific), same virus essentially though. HIV can't infect monkey cells, it's not a cross species compatible virus, just like SIV can't immediately infect Humans, it needs quite a bit of mutation to do so.

[VocalNeal]

As there is no vaccine or treatment and the symptoms go away after 3 days, it seems like a bit of a non-story?