New Strain of West Nile Virus?

[Liquid_Memory]

West Nile Virus was just found in 2 aligators in florida.

This virus was first only known to birds, then it found its way into horses, humans, and now alligators. I heard about the alligators on 11/13 on our local news channel, but can't find any information on any web sites.

http://doacs.state.fl.us/~aes/westnile2001/WestNile.htm

Seems to have the best information, over 1500 cases of west nile in animals and humans have been recorded and that is just florida. The USGS has a good website also.

http://www.usgs.gov/west_nile_virus.html

Liquid Memory

[ZokesPro]

The west nile virus should die out during the winter, at least that's what I've heard about it.

[Liquid_Memory]

Hopefully florida will get below freezing for a couple of days otherwise its gonna get alot worse.

[ZokesPro]

Forgot about that. We've had 2 cases here in Ontario but we also have 6 months worth of winter.

[Liquid_Memory]

Well it would have to be at freezing temperatures across North America before we can get rid of this. Florida is the most concentrated though and needs a good cold spell for a week.

This is a link to the government maps for west nile virus.

http://www.nationalatlas.gov/virusmap.html

[Greebe]

I don't think the desease is as prevalent as most would think (you?). I live right off of a lake in Bradenton (30'(9.5m) from my patio door), just south of Tampa Bay and dispite the fact I get bitten ~600 times a year I've either got it and have a strong immunity or have not come in contact with it at all.

There have been no relevent cases of WNV in this region either I might add

[Dr Mordrid]

WNV was a major pain here in Michigan this year. Dead birds all over the place and quite a few deaths among humans.

Odd that the first recorded appearance of WNV the US were within a block or two of the UN building.

After the first outbreak of the virus in New York the US Surgeon General at that time, David Satcher, admitted that this particular strain of West Nile was "unusual" and that it had appeared at the same time in only two other places; Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Makes one wonder if it entered the country in a diplomatic pouch, doesn't it?

Dr. Mordrid

[GT98]

I've been living in one of the areas first affected by WNV and so far I haven't heard of anyone I know personally that contracted it. What makes this even more interesting is that the desiase went clear across the country in less then 3 years if I remember right....something doesn't add up right here...

[Dr Mordrid]

No, it doesn't.

In ~1899 boubonic plague came in through a port in California and since then it hasn't come much further east than Oaklahoma/north Texas in the south and the Dakotas in the north.

Granted WMV is spread by an airborn species, infected birds, and not by infected rats as is the plague, but its progression and infection rate seems more than a bit "accelerated".

A high percentage of people in the affected regions have antibodies to WNV, it's just that they don't get real sick from it.

It's mostly children, the elderly and those with conditions that comprimise their immune systems that end up getting seriously ill or dying from it.

Dr. Mordrid

[ZokesPro]

Maybe it's the migratory path of a specific bird that is carrying the virus?

[Dr Mordrid]

What bird hits almost 100% of the nation in less than 3 years?

Granted it could leapfrog species as mosquitos go from one bird to another, but that timeline is awfully short for a natural progression.

Dr. Mordrid

[RedRed]

Sorry to bust the consipiracy-

The killer flus of the early 20th C crossed the whole of Europe in less than 6 months - they kiled Millions here and many more in Asia and the americas.

Of course a virus can spread quickly - central Canada is rife with WNV - winnipeg (SP) has it quite bad this year (my work causes me to liase quite closely with the hospital authourity both there and Vancouver)

RedRed

[Dr Mordrid]

Sorry to bust the consipiracy-

The killer flus of the early 20th C crossed the whole of Europe in less than 6 months - they kiled Millions here and many more in Asia and the americas.

Of course a virus can spread quickly - central Canada is rife with WNV - winnipeg (SP) has it quite bad this year (my work causes me to liase quite closely with the hospital authourity both there and Vancouver)

RedRed

Epidemiologically speaking; that's just a bit simplistic.

The flu is a virus that spreads human to human by direct inhalation of the expelled virus, which can be a very fast process indeed.

WNV spreads by way of multiple vectors: fleas and rats, which normally is a much slower process and is why plague has only spread half way across the country in over 100 years.

To be sure the combination of fleas and birds would spread faster, but it seems to me that <3 years to spread from Manhattan to the west to Alaska a bit much.

Dr. Mordrid

[Liquid_Memory]

Migrating a disease is easy, especially in birds. Almost every bird migrates north and when it gets there, gets bitten by a mosquito and if it is infected then any other bird that the mosquito bites will be infected. Not all birds contract the virus, most of them are just carriers of it, like humans, and although we cannot give the virus to someone else, although they haven't done any blood to blood testing, such as a cut or something, I think that if it is already crossing species, its most likely to be our next new virus to deal with. As if we don't have enough problems already.

Well I think its time that everyone go out and get a 2000 watt bug zapper and watch the mosquitos pile up on the floor.

Seriously though, how does a virus that has been only known in birds transmute itself into an alligator. I can understand humans, because birds have relatively the same immune system we do. Same as horses, but alligators have been here since the beginning of time. They have been exposed to every known virus we could ever imagine. They are supposed to have the strongest immune systems around besides sharks. I don't know, maybe I'm off the path a little, but you sometimes find interesting things thrown on the side of the road.

Liquid Memory

[Greebe]

it's an alien conspiracy!