One of the greatest public health fears is an influenza pandemic. Epidemiologists have worried that the avian flu virus, formally known as H5N1, could mutate enough to sicken and pass among humans, who would not have an immunity to it. A universal flu vaccine would prevent such a threat: like some childhood shots, it would confer lifelong protection—and eliminate seasonal flu injections as well. For the Insights story, "Beating the Flu in a Single Shot,"appearing in the June 2008 Scientific American, Alexander Hellemans talked with Walter Fiers of Ghent University in Belgium. Fiers discovered a key protein on the influenza virus that could serve as a target for a universal vaccine; the drug has shown promise in an early clinical trial. Here is an edited excerpt of the interview, translated from Dutch.

Before you started working on the influenza virus, you were actually decoding genomes in the 1960s. Did this then-new technique help you in tackling the influenza virus?
My first research project was the determination of the sequence of nucleotides, a technique which was still in its infancy. The problem we were faced with in 1960-62 was that the determination of the genetic code—and the linking of code words to amino acids was based on synthetic polynucleotides. This did not explain which of the 64 possibilities of combinations occur in nature. This was our first project: the determination of the sequence of a real gene as it occurs in nature, and this was from the genome of the bacteriophage MS2.

Why did you choose this virus?
If you want to resolve a problem, you have to return to the simplest form in which this problem can be solved—this is reductionism. So we looked for a very small virus. We looked for the smallest possible genome: a bacteriophage with RNA. We elucidated the nucleotide sequence of a gene, and this was published in 1972. The bacteriophage MS2 contains four genes, and we published the complete genome in 1976.

So this was the first genome to be sequenced?
This was the first complete genome that we have sequenced. From there, with the technology we developed, at that moment, it was the largest molecule from which the primary structure was determined. Subsequently, researchers have switched to DNA-containing organisms and now have reached humans. But the automation required for this was far beyond our capabilities.

You switched from studies of bacteriophages to the influenza virus in the 1970s. Why?
Because it had an enormous medical relevance and importance. The problem we had then, which we still have today, is the phenomenon of drift and shift. If it were not for drift—the accumulation of point mutations—and shift—the interchange of genes from animal and human strains—we would have had a vaccine based on serological data. Because of drift and shift, the World Health Organization [WHO] makes a prediction every year about the strain that is the most likely to cause an epidemic in the Western world. Based on this information one makes a vaccine the classical way, growing them in eggs, something that was started just after the Second World War, around 1950. And this is still being done the same way.

How do organizations, such as the WHO, predict these mutations?
On the basis of an epidemic that spreads out in other parts of the world. For example, epidemics that happen in the Northern Hemisphere usually mirror what previously happened in the Southern Hemisphere. And if we know against which epidemics our population here has acquired immunity, we can then see whether there are other advancing epidemics that will not be stopped by the local immunity, making it probable that it may cause an epidemic here.

2 Comments

1. 1. quiact 11:45 AM 12/25/08

   Historical Facts About Influenza:
   
   The last influenza pandemic occurred nearly 100 years ago, and resulted in about 50 million deaths worldwide. Those who survived have allowed others to obtain antibodies from them to develop other antibodies for future viral outbreaks that may occur. This last influenza pandemic also allowed others to obtain this virus from those who died as a result to facilitate effective treatments and vaccines for viral outbreaks that may happen in the future as well.
   With influenza, it is understood that the disease influenza is a disease caused by a RNA virus that can infect both mammals and birds. In fact, this particular virus can mutate to where it can be shared between the two life forms and multiply within each one of them. Unlike coryza, influenza expresses symptoms more severely, and usually lasts two weeks until one recovers who has the flu. Influenza, however, poses a danger to some with compromised immune systems, such as the chronically ill. In cases such as this, influenza can in fact progress to deadly pneumonia. Symptoms of influenza usually start to express themselves symptomatically 36 hours after being infected with the virus. Over 10 percent of the population are infected with this virus every year- resulting in about 200,000 hospitalizations and nearly 40,000 deaths.
   
   The flu vaccination contains three viral strains of suspected viruses for flu outbreaks during a particular winter season, as determined by the World Health Organization, as well as the Centers for Disease Control, and other organizations. Unfortunately, the influenza vaccine administered last flu season was largely ineffective due to unsuspected strains of the virus infecting others, although about 140 million doses of this vaccine were administered. After giving the vaccination dose to one, it takes about 10 days for that person to build up an immunity for the disease of influenza.
   The influenza season peaks between the months of January and March. The vaccine for this influenza season is manufactured by 6 different companies. Yet the strains chosen are speculated influenza viruses, as this does not eliminate the chance of a new and dominant influenza viral strain that possibly could cause a pandemic. It takes manufacturers about 6 months to make and formulate the influenza vaccination. There is a vaccine for this illness that is produced every year according to which type of virus may be prevalent during a particular flu season. The vaccination is recommended to be administered to those who are at high risk, such as the chronically ill. Also, it is recommended that those under 18 years of age get the vaccine, as well as those people over the age of 50. Furthermore, those people who regularly take aspirin should receive the vaccine, as the influenza disease can become a catalyst for Reye’s Syndrome. Pregnant women should receive the vaccine as well- as there are many other vaccines available to fortunately prevent other diseases, perhaps.
   
   

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2. 2. Carlton22 10:53 AM 4/28/09

   Vaccines add to the toxic overload of the body, and mercury (Thimerosol) increases vulnerability.
   
   Here is a quote (complements of Mark Sircus of the International Medical Veritas Association IMVA) from Dr. Eleanor McBean who lived through the 1918 influenza epidemic and testified, "As far as I could find out, the flu hit only the vaccinated. Those who had refused the shots escaped the flu. My family had refused all the vaccinations so we remained well all the time. There was seven times more disease among the vaccinated soldiers than among the unvaccinated civilians, and the diseases were those they had been vaccinated against."
   
   Tamiflu is not a cure and can have dangerous psychiatric side effects resulting in suicide or serious injury or death while trying to flee or escape an imaginary danger. It offers false hope and is a cash cow for drug companies. I put all vaccines in the same category. Most drugs only treat symptoms and with dangerous side effects.
   
   Personal things you can do. First of all stay well hydrated by drinking lots of pure water. According to Mark Sircus http://www.naturalallopathic.com our most potent natural weapons against any virus, microbe, fungi, yeast, etc. including influenza are: Transdermally(via the skin) applied Magnesium Chloride (ancientminerals.com has the purest form), Iodine (Nascent Iodine, Lugol's, 7% solution or the stuff off the shelf), and Sodium Bicarbonate. The skin is the largest organ of the body and absorbs what it needs. I recommend Mark's website and books to understand how these inexpensive minerals are so powerful and important to maintaining health.
   
   In addition, Jim Humble discovered the secret of turning Stabilized Oxygen (usually sold in stores as a 3.5% solution of Sodium Chlorite, NaClO2) into the most potent pathogen killer known to man, Chlorine Dioxide, ClO2. It destroys all harmful viruses, microbes, fungi, and yeast in the body (Malaria, influenza, Aids, etc.) while leaving helpful organisms alone. He starts with 15 drops of a 28% solution of Sodium Chlorite (MMS, Miracle Mineral Supplement,Google it) to which he adds 1/2 teaspoon of either fresh lemon or lime juice, or vinnegar (5% acid content). Wait 3 minutes. This creates about 3 milligrams of Chlorine Dioxide when 4 ounces of pure apple juice is added (or just use water). You drink this and it continues to generate chlorine dioxide for the next 12 hours in the body. It oxidizes any pathogen it contacts by accepting 5 electrons of charge, leaving a salt and water residual. Totally safe.

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