Usporedba pandemijskog virusa A/H1N1/ iz 1918. godine s potencijalnim pandemijskim virusom A/H5N1/ iz 2005. godine

• Main Authors: Draženović, V., Barišin, A.
• Format: Text
• Language: Croatian
• Published: University Hospital for Infectious Diseases 'Dr. Fran Mihaljević' Zagreb and the Croatian Society for Infectious Diseases of the Croatian Medical Association 2006
• Subjects: Hemagglutinin; influenca; ptičja gripa; influenza; avian flu; Avian flu
• Online Access: http://hrcak.srce.hr/12706; http://hrcak.srce.hr/file/19552

Jedna od tri velike pandemije 20. stoljeća je najveća epidemija svih vremena tzv. Španjolska gripa uzrokovana virusom tipa A/H1N1/, a 1918. godine usmrtila je oko 50 milijuna ljudi. Razlog tako velikog broja žrtava virusolozi nisu sa sigurnošću mogli odgonetnuti do u nazad par mjeseci. Na temelju zaostalog obdukcijskog materijala iz davne 1918. uspjelo je ponovno oživjeti pojedine komponente virusa i tako pojasniti nedoumice u vezi sa molekularnom osnovom patogenosti. Isto tako znanstvenici u cijelom svijetu intenzivno se bave ispitivanjem molekularne strukture virusa gripe A/H5N1/ koji bi, smatra se, mogao biti uzročnikom slijedeće pandemije humane influence. U ovom pregledu pokušati ćemo usporediti osnovne karakteristike oba virusa i pokušati odgovoriti na pitanje koliko su oni slični, a koliko različiti. Osnovna razlika između ova dva virusa je za sada to što se virus A/H5N1/ ne prenosi s čovjeka na čovjeka, nego je to bolest ptica, uglavnom zbog toga što se taj virus kod oboljelih ljudi luči u izuzetno niskim količinama. Ono što zabrinjava je izuzetno visoki letalitet kod laboratorijskih životinja jednog i drugog virusa koji do sad nije zabilježen kod poznatih tipova virusa influence. Isto tako brojne mutacije u samo par godina virusa A/H5N1/ dovele su do također većeg letaliteta brojnih životinjskih vrsta i poboljšale mogućnosti preživljavanja u vanjskoj sredini. One of three major pandemics of the 20th century is the greatest epidemic of all times, the so called Spanish flu, caused by the virus type A/H1N1/, which in 1918 caused the death of around 50 million people. Virologists could not explain with certainty the reason for such high number of deaths until a couple of months ago. Based on remnants of autopsy material from the long gone 1918 it was possible to revive certain components of the virus and therefore explain some uncertainties regarding the molecular base for such pathogenity. Scientists all around the world have also been conducting research into the molecular structure of the flu virus A/H5N1/ which, it is considered, could be the cause of the next pandemic of human influenza. In this overview we will try to compare the basic characteristics of both viruses and try to answer the question how much alike they are, and in what way do they differ. The main difference between the two viruses is that for the time being, the A/H5N1/ is not transferred from human to human, but remains an illness of the birds, mostly due to the fact that this virus shows extremely low secretion with people suffering from this illness. What is disturbing, is an extremely high lethality level with laboratory animals from both viruses, a level not yet registered with any known type of influenza virus. Equally numerous mutations of the virus A/H5N1/ have also led to an increased lethality of numerous animal species and have increased survival possibilities in open surroundings.