they found out what it is

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

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From: ProMED-mail <promed () promed isid harvard edu>
Reply-To: promed () promed isid harvard edu
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 18:37:30 -0500 (EST)
To: promed-edr () promedmail org
Subject: PRO/EDR> Severe acute respiratory syndrome - worldwide (08)


SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME - WORLDWIDE (08)
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Date: 18 Mar 2003
From: "Henry L Niman, PhD" <henry_niman () hms harvard edu>
Source: Hong Kong Standard 19 Mar 2003 02:16 AM [edited]
<http://www.thestandard.com.hk/thestandard/topstory.cfm>


Killer virus identified
-----------------------
A team from the Prince of Wales Hospital and Chinese University of Hong
Kong have identified the virus that has caused the recent outbreak of
severe acute respiratory syndrome worldwide, confirming that the current
anti-viral treatment applied to patients has been the right choice.
Identifying the virus as a member of the Paramyxoviridae family, Professor
John Tam of the department of microbiology of the Chinese University said
it was detected by electron microscopy. The finding, announced late last
night, was further confirmed by a molecular technique that revealed the
nucleic acid sequence of the virus.

Asked if the virus was curable, Tam reiterated that the finding last night
had indicated that the current treatment applied to patients suffering from
the syndrome, more commonly known as atypical pneumonia, had been the right
choice. But he added that they still needed to monitor individual patients'
reactions before they could conclude that the virus was curable.

Lo Wing-lok, Medical Association president and legislator, said the
Paramyxoviridae family incorporated different viruses that could affect
humans and, as such, further studies were needed to establish whether it
was a new virus. Earlier it was revealed that at least 6 patients were
responsible for spreading the pneumonia in Hong Kong. Health chief Yeoh
Eng-kiong also said that a mainland professor who died in [Hong Kong] SAR
on 4 Mar 2003 was a victim of the atypical pneumonia.

The new information from officials indicated the disease had been more
widespread in the SAR than originally believed. Yeoh said the pneumonia and
suspected cases had now been isolated into 6 "clusters". Yeoh again
stressed the government was not hiding anything. He insisted there was no
sign of an outbreak at the community level.

[byline: Matthew Lee and Georgina Lee]

-- 
Henry L Niman, PhD
Department of Bioengineering
Shriners' Burn Center
51 Blossom Street, Room 422
Boston, MA 02114 USA
<henry_niman () hms harvard edu>

[This is the second identification of a paramyovirus-like organism from a
patient with SARS (see ProMED-mail posting Severe acute respiratory
syndrome - worldwide (06) 20030318.0677). The first identification was made
by investigators in Frankfurt am Main and Hamburg from specimens taken from
a physician from Singapore who had treated some of the earlier cases seen
in Singapore and was admitted to hospital in Frankfurt, Germany en route
back to Singapore over the weekend. As mentioned in our earlier posting, it
is important to confirm these findings and to identify a similar agent from
other cases of SARS before it can be concluded that this agent is the cause
of SARS. That being said, this second identification of a paramxovirus-like
organism from patients with SARS offers hope that the etiology of this
outbreak may be identified soon. - Mod.MPP]

[see also:
Severe acute respiratory syndrome - worldwide (07)         20030318.0678
Severe acute respiratory syndrome - worldwide (06)         20030318.0677
Severe acute respiratory syndrome - Worldwide (05)         20030317.0669
Severe acute respiratory syndrome - Worldwide (04):comment 20030317.0664
Severe acute respiratory syndrome - Worldwide: alert (03)  20030316.0660
Severe acute respiratory syndrome - Worldwide (02):alert   20030315.0649
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - Worldwide              20030315.0637
Acute respiratory syndrome - Canada (Ontario)              20030314.0631
Acute respiratory syndrome - East Asia                     20030314.0630
Acute respiratory syndrome - China (HK), VietNam (03)      20030313.0624
Acute respiratory syndrome - China (HK), VietNam (02)      20030313.0623
Acute respiratory syndrome - China (HK), VietNam           20030312.0602
Undiagnosed illness - Vietnam (Hanoi): RFI                 20030311.0595
Influenza, H5N1 human case - China (Hong Kong) (05)        20030228.0500
Pneumonia - China (Guangdong) (07)                         20030221.0452
Pneumonia - China (Guangdong) (06)                         20030220.0447
Pneumonia - China (Guangdong) (05)                         20030220.0446
Pneumonia - China (Guangdong) (04)                         20030219.0427
Pneumonia - China (Guangdong) (03)                         20030214.0390
Pneumonia - China (Guangdong) (02)                         20030211.0369
Pneumonia - China (Guangdong): RFI                         20030210.0357]

........................mpp/sh

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