Friday, November 9, 2012

Hmmm....


 

Hints of a more virulent, mutating West Nile virus emerge. Brian Vastag 11/8/2012 the Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/hints-of-a-more-virulent-mutating-west-nile-virus-emerge/2012/11/08/75e37776-2523-11e2-9313-3c7f59038d93_story.html?wpisrc=nl_headlines 

 [Excerpted] The West Nile virus epidemic of 2012, the worst in a decade, may be notorious for yet another reason: The virus, in some cases, is attacking the brain more aggressively than in the past, raising the specter that it may have mutated into a nastier form, say two neurologists who have extensive experience dealing with the illness. 

One doctor, Art Leis in Jackson, Miss., has seen the virus damaging the speech, language and thinking centers of the brain — something he has never observed before. The other, Elizabeth Angus in Detroit, has noticed brain damage in young, previously healthy patients, not just in older, sicker ones — another change from past years....

Majia here: Read the entire article. Virulogists interviewed suspect the virus has changed, mutated, and now attacks the brain more dangerously.

Over a year ago I speculated that radiation from Fukushima would cause more viral mutations.

I checked with my colleague, a geneticist, and she confirmed that radiation induces mutations in viruses.

There is no way of knowing whether radiation from Fukushima played a role in the suspected mutation of the west vile virus. 

However, it is something to consider ....

Radioactive Waste is Inherently Dangerous for Life on Earth as We Know It...

 

   

 

 

 

2 comments:

  1. Majia, there are 2 options here. Either the virus becomes more virulent, or the host gets weaker. I believe both are in play these days, as the general immunity of people gets weakened by increased levels of background radiation, other pollutants, stress, etc. And transmission is easier as the population continues to expand and live more densely with problems in the smooth functioning of the system and worse access to health care.

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  2. I agree with you about both being in play.

    I wish we could address this problem transparently.

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