Influenzavirus A

Such a subtype could cause a global pandemic similar to the Spanish Flu that killed up to 50 million people in 1918. The next time that the monkey will appear as the zodiac sign will be in the year 2016. If a human infected with influenzavirus also acquires H5N1, a mutant strain of bird flu that can be transmitted from human to human could form. The Monkey is the ninth in the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. It is feared that if a strain of avian influenza virus to which humans have not been previously exposed undergoes antigenic shift to the point where it can cross the species barrier from birds to humans, the new subtype created could be both highly contagious and highly lethal in humans. Terry Pratchett makes use of this trait in his Discworld novels, in which the Librarian of the Unseen University is an orangutan who gets very violent if referred to as a monkey. Avian influenzavirus H5 and H7 strains are found in both "low pathogenic” or “high pathogenic” forms; influenza H9 virus has been identified only in a “low pathogenic” form. However, pop culture often incorrectly labels apes, particularly chimpanzees, gibbons, and gorillas, as monkeys.

In addition, avian influenza viruses may fall into one of 2 pathotypes: low (LPAI) and high (HPAI) pathogenicity, based on their virulence in poultry populations. The television series Monkey, the literary characters Monsieur Eek and Curious George are all examples. There are 16 H types, each with up to 9 N subtypes, yielding a potential for 144 different H and N combinations. Monkeys are prevalent in numerous books, television programs, and movies. Influenzavirus type A is subdivided into subtypes based on hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N) protein spikes from the central virus core. Calling either a simian is correct. All avian influenza (AI) viruses are type A influenza virus in the virus family of Orthomyxoviridae and all known strains of influenza A virus infect birds. Calling apes monkeys is incorrect.

The avian influenza subtypes that have been confirmed in humans, ordered by the number of known human deaths, are: H1N1 caused "Spanish Flu", H2N2 caused "Asian Flu", H3N2 caused "Hong Kong Flu", H5N1 is the current pandemic threat, H7N7 has unusual zoonotic potential, H1N2 is currently endemic in humans and pigs, H9N2, H7N2, H7N3, H10N7. Note that the smallest grouping that contains them all is the Simiiformes, the simians, which also contains the apes. [22]. The following lists shows where the various monkey families (bolded) are placed in the Primate classification. In one case, a boy with H5N1 experienced diarrhea followed rapidly by a coma without developing respiratory or flu-like symptoms, suggesting non-standard symptoms. Viktor Reinhardt, a former research veterinarian, wrote for the International Primate Protection League that: "the conditions I witnessed were so depressing that most monkeys had developed stereotypic behaviors such as pacing, rocking, bouncing, somersaulting, swaying from side to side, biting parts of their own bodies, pulling their ears, tossing their heads back and forth, or smearing feces on the cage walls." [3] [4] (mpg). The severity of the infection will depend to a large part on the state of the infected person's immune system and if the victim has been exposed to the strain before, and is therefore partially immune. Use of monkeys in laboratories is highly controversial with polarizing views.

[21] These include fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, conjunctivitis and, in severe cases, severe breathing problems and pneumonia that may be fatal. Highly sociable animals, monkeys are kept in many different environments. In humans, avian flu viruses cause similar symptoms to other types of flu. In the United States, around 50,000 non-human primates, most of them monkeys, have been used in experiments every year since 1973 [2] (pdf); 10,000 monkeys were used in the European Union in 2004. Genetic factors in distinguishing between "human flu viruses" and "avian flu viruses" include:. Macaques and African green monkeys are widely used in animal testing facilities because of their relative ease of handling and their psychological and physical similarity to humans. [19]. Permits may be issued to those who qualify in the caring of monkeys.

H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2 are the only known avian flu virus subtypes currently circulating among humans. Their legal status as pets varies in other countries. "Human influenza virus" usually refers to those subtypes that spread widely among humans. it is illegal to keep monkeys in the home; even in places where they are legal, a Department of Agriculture permit is usually required. "[C]ontemporary human H3N2 influenza viruses are now endemic in pigs in southern China and can reassort with avian H5N1 viruses in this intermediate host." [18]. In most large metropolitan areas in the U.S. H5N1 is endemic in birds in southeast Asia and represents a long term pandemic threat. Some monkeys may even have special needs such as diets.

2005: Tens of millions of birds died of H5N1 influenza and hundreds of millions of birds were culled to protect humans from H5N1. It becomes very costly when it comes to buying food and housing them. CDC detailed analysis. It is not cheap to bring up a monkey. As of April 2004, 18 farms had been quarantined to halt the spread of the virus. It might be bad for the monkey to place them in non-social areas which could lead to problems. 2004: In North America, the presence of avian influenza strain H7N3 was confirmed at several poultry farms in British Columbia in February 2004. Monkeys need to be placed in social areas.

[17]. It is not easy for a monkey to get used to their new environment. 2003: In Netherlands H7N7 influenza virus infection broke out in poultry on several farms. Monkeys are known to get attached to their first owner so switching from one to another would not be a good idea. 2000: "In California, poultry producers kept their knowledge of a recent H6N2 avian influenza outbreak to themselves due to their fear of public rejection of poultry products; meanwhile, the disease spread across the western United States and has since become endemic." [15] [16]. While a majority of monkey owners find other homes for them, such as zoos and monkey rescues, some people report having long and rewarding relationships with monkeys. Most recently, H3N8 viruses from horses have crossed over and caused outbreaks in dogs." [14]. They can change from one minute to the next without warning making it hard for the owner to fully understand them.

However, in 1997, H3N2 viruses from humans were introduced into the pig population and caused widespread disease among pigs. The monkeys may also become aggressive even to their owners. pig population. The nice looking monkey eventually has to grow up and may in most cases become wild and not easy to control. For example, until 1997, only H1N1 viruses circulated widely in the U.S. Any surgical means to stem this behavior (such as removing the teeth or fingertips of the monkey) is widely considered cruel, and it is usually difficult to find veterinarians who will treat them: even exotic-animal veterinarians may not be familiar with them. 1997: "Influenza A viruses normally seen in one species sometimes can cross over and cause illness in another species. Most adolescent monkeys begin to bite unpredictably and pinch adults and children.

In Mexico, for example, mass vaccination of chickens against epidemic H5N2 influenza in 1995 has had to continue in order to control a persistent and evolving virus (Lee et al., 2004)." [13]. There needs to be a lot of time set aside for cleaning up whatever mess the monkey might make. Intensive surveillance is required to detect these “silent epidemics” in time to curtail them. Bored monkeys can become extremely destructive and may even go so far as to smear or throw their own feces. 1995: "[V]accinated birds can develop asymptomatic infections that allow virus to spread, mutate, and recombine (ProMED-mail, 2004j). Monkeys can not handle being away from their owners for long periods of time, such as family trips for example, due to their need of attention. 1979: "More than 400 harbor seals, most of them immature, died along the New England coast between December 1979 and October 1980 of acute pneumonia associated with influenza virus, A/Seal/Mass/1/180 (H7N7)." [12]. They usually require a large amount of attention.

[11]. They require constant supervision and mental stimulation. Avian influenza viruses that the OIE and others test for in order to control poultry disease include: H5N1, H7N2, H1N7, H7N3, H13N6, H5N9, H11N6, H3N8, H9N2, H5N2, H4N8, H10N7, H2N2, H8N4, H14N5, H6N5, H12N5 and others. While baby monkeys are usually as easy to keep clean as a human infant (by diapering), monkeys that have reached puberty usually remove their diapers and cannot be toilet trained. [10]. Although they may appear to be nice and friendly and can resemble human babies for some people, many people believe that monkeys should not be kept as, or seen as, pets. "Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus is on every top ten list available for potential agricultural bioweapon agents". It is rumoured that one such monkey washed up ashore and, being mistaken for a Frenchman, was hanged in Hartlepool, England this caused the people of Hartlepool to be nicknamed the monkey hangers.

Symptoms in animals vary, but virulent strains can cause death within a few days. In the Napoleonic Wars, the same practice is thought to have occurred. The incubation period is 3 to 5 days. Some were later kept in zoos, many modern captive monkeys in the UK are descended from such Victorian era monkeys. It can also be transmitted by contaminated feed, water, equipment and clothing; however, there is no evidence that the virus can survive in well cooked meat. When the British first began to explore Africa, young monkeys were often captured and taken back on board the ship to entertain sailors. Avian influenza virus spreads in the air and in manure and survives longer in cold weather. .

[9]. The word Moneke may have been derived from the Italian monna, which means "a female ape." The name Moneke persisted over time likely due to the popularity of Reynard the Fox. Laboratory mice have been successfully infected with a variety of avian flu genotypes. In this version of the fable, a character named Moneke is the son of Martin the Ape. H3N8 viruses from horses have crossed over and caused outbreaks in dogs. The name monkey may come from a German version of the Reynard the Fox fable, published in around 1580. [8] H5N1 has been shown to be also transmitted to tigers, leopards, and domestic cats who were fed uncooked domestic fowl (chickens) with the virus. To understand the monkeys, therefore, it is necessary to study the characteristics of the different groups individually.

Prior to the current H5N1 epizootic, strains of avian influenza virus had been demonstrated to be transmitted from wild fowl to only birds, pigs, horses, seals, whales and humans; and only between humans and pigs and between humans and domestic fowl; and not other pathways such as domestic fowl to horse. Although both the New and Old World monkeys, like the apes, have forward facing eyes, the faces of Old World and New World monkeys look very different though again, each group shares some features such as the types of noses, cheeks and rumps. Wild fowl act as natural asymptomatic carriers of avian flu virus. Some characteristics are shared among the groups; most New World monkeys have prehensile tails while Old World monkeys do not; some have trichromatic colour vision like that of humans, others are dichromats or monochromats. The assembled virion cores leave the nucleus and migrate towards the cell membrane, with patches of viral transmembrane proteins (hemagglutinin, neuraminidase and M2 proteins) and an underlying layer of the M1 protein, and bud through these patches, releasing finished enveloped viruses into the extracellular fluid. Some are arboreal (living in trees), some live on the savanna; diets differ among the various species but may contain any of the following: fruit, leaves, seeds, nuts, flowers, insects, spiders, eggs and small animals. The RNA synthesis and its assembly with the nucleoprotein takes place in the cell nucleus, the synthesis of proteins takes place in the cytoplasm. Monkeys range in size from the Pygmy Marmoset, at 10 cm (4 inch) long (plus tail) and 120 g (4 oz) in weight to the male Mandrill, almost 1 metre (3 ft) long and weighing 35 kg (75 lb).

The +RNA strands also serve for synthesis of -RNA strands for new virions. Because they are not a single coherent group, monkeys do not have any important characteristics that they all share and are not shared with the remaining group of simians, the apes. After transcription from negative-sense to positive-sense RNA the +RNA strands get the cellular 5' cap added, allowing its processing as messenger RNA by ribosomes. Also, a few monkey species have the word "ape" in their common name. The genome segments have common terminal sequences, and the ends of the RNA strands are partially complementary, allowing them to bond to each other by hydrogen bonds. Because of their similarity to monkeys, apes such as chimpanzees and gibbons are sometimes incorrectly called monkeys. The 8 genes are:. These two groupings are the New World and Old World monkeys of which together there are nearly 200 species.

The segmented nature of the genome also allows for the exchange of entire genes between different viral strains when they cohabitate the same cell. A monkey is any member of two of the three groupings of simian primates. Each segment contains a single gene, but some can be read twice at different starting points to create two distinct proteins. The Problem with Pet Monkeys. Influenza A viruses contain their genome in eight separate linear segments of negative-sense RNA, which code for ten proteins (eleven for type A if including the novel PB1-F1 protein). Inside the monkey house at Covance, shot undercover by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection. [4] [5] "[C]ontemporary human H3N2 influenza viruses are now endemic in pigs in southern China and can reassort with avian H5N1 viruses in this intermediate host." [6]. "The Impossible Housing and Handling Conditions of Monkeys in Research Laboratories", by Viktor Reinhardt, International Primate Protection League, August 2001.

Measured resistance to the standard antiviral drugs amantadine and rimantadine in H3N2 has increased from 1% in 1994 to 12% in 2003 to 91% in 2005. Family Hominidae: humans and other great apes. [3] The dominant strain in January 2006 is H3N2. Family Hylobatidae: gibbons ("lesser apes"). The annually updated trivalent flu vaccine consists of hemagglutinin (HA) surface glycoprotein components from influenza H3N2, H1N1, and B influenza viruses. Superfamily Hominoidea