Viruses can jump between primates and humans.

[Guest guest]

Source:

Now go ahead and vaccinate your children full of all sorts of monkey, pig,

bovine, human and what not serum!!!

 

 

University of Washington

Posted: August 24, 2006

 

Viruses Can Jump Between Primates And Humans, Researchers Warn

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/08/060823185110.htm

Viruses that jump the species barrier between monkeys and humans can harm both

people and animals, and we should take steps to reduce the risk of virus

transmission. That's the message running through the September issue of the

American Journal of Primatology, a special issue on disease risk analysis edited

by a primate expert at the University of Washington.

 

The special issue covers a range of topics, including an estimate of the viral

transmission risk for visitors to a monkey temple in Indonesia, and a study

showing how methods to limit contact between monkeys and humans can reduce the

risk of transmission between the species. Other researchers describe how human

viruses infecting monkeys and apes can wreak havoc on those animals'

populations.

 

" Viruses are already jumping the species barrier and affecting both people and

animals, and there is the potential for much worse, " explained Dr. Lisa

Jones-Engel, a research scientist in the Division of International Programs at

the UW's Washington National Primate Research Center and guest editor for the

journal's special issue. " It's especially cause for concern in Asia, where

people and monkeys have so much interaction, and there has been little research

done on this topic. "

 

Scientists believe that HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, started out as simian

immunodeficiency virus (or SIV), and jumped to humans decades ago when African

bush meat hunters became infected by the monkeys they were hunting for food.

Other viruses, like influenza, have also jumped species barriers with

frightening results. In one article, researchers estimate that about six people

out of every thousand who visit a monkey temple in Bali, Indonesia, will be

infected with simian foamy virus (SFV) from a monkey bite. SFV is a primate

retrovirus that so far has not been shown to cause disease in humans. Monkey

temples are religious sites that have become gathering spots for populations of

wild macaque monkeys fleeing deforested areas.

 

" This study is basically the first step in quantifying the risk associated

with human-to-monkey viral transmission, " said lead author Dr. Gregory Engel,

attending physician at Swedish/Providence Hospital in Seattle, and clinical

assistant professor of family medicine at the UW. " We have a lot more work to do

in determining the risk of viruses jumping the species barrier in these

different settings, but the risk is obviously there. "

 

In addition to bushmeat hunting, people are in close contact with monkeys in

many settings in Asia: religious temples, open-air markets, street performances,

nature preserves, zoos, and even homes, where monkeys are kept as pets. Each of

these settings could provide entry points for monkey viruses like SFV to infect

humans, or for human viruses like measles to jump to monkeys. Either population

can be at risk from these transmissions: measles can devastate monkey

populations, while some monkey viruses can also harm people.

 

Though SFV and a similar primate virus called SRV are not yet known to cause

disease in humans, both are retroviruses, which are typically slow-acting in

their host. It could be many years before physicians know the effects of those

virus exposures. Other viruses carried by monkeys can cause disease and death in

humans.

Visitors to monkey temples shouldn't avoid monkeys at all costs, Engel said,

but they should use caution and common sense to keep themselves and the animals

safe. People should not feed the monkeys or encourage the animals to climb on

them. Such precautions can help reduce the risk of exposure. In the event of a

bite or scratch, proper wound care can reduce the likelihood of infection, he

said.

 

" Governments and non-governmental organizations can also take steps to reduce

the risk of virus transmission, " said Jones-Engel. " Better management of monkey

populations, disease surveillance of human and primate populations, and improved

public sanitation can all cut down on the risk of viral transmission within

monkey populations, and between animals and people. "

 

 

" Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest

of life by the power of the spirit. " - Aurobindo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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