Labs form a new front against deadly pathogens

Abstract

When four pig farm workers and a butcher in the Philippines tested positive for Ebola Reston virus antibodies in January but did not become ill, it was the latest example of an outbreak of a new and potentially dangerous pathogen passed from animal to human. It was not the first time humans became infected with Ebola Reston. Nor has the virus been recognized as the cause of human illness to date, although it remains unclear how it would affect people with weak immunity and underlying medical conditions, pregnant women and children. Animal diseases transmitted to humans, known as 'zoonoses' such as Ebola Reston, are the origin of many human diseases and can, therefore, pose a threat to human health since their potential remains unknown. case has highlighted the need for countries, such as the Philippines, to be able to identify dangerous pathogens and contain such outbreaks when they occur. Under the revised International Health Regulations, countries are now committed to reporting events that could have health implications beyond their borders. But not all countries have this capacity. In recognition of that, a WHO initiative has been working over the past year to create an international network of high-security laboratories known as the Emerging and Dangerous Pathogens Laboratory Network for Response and Readiness. growing network--currently of 25 high-security diagnostic laboratories in 20 countries--aims to detect and diagnose new and emerging disease threats found in humans and animals, such as viral haemorrhagic fevers, e.g. Ebola, Nipah virus and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). It also provides training for staff and technology transfer to laboratories in countries, so that they can develop their capacity for outbreak detection and response. This network will help ensure that internationally available resources can be coordinated to achieve a more rapid response to emerging diseases, as well as to maximize the benefits of intervention, studies, diagnostics and research, says Dr Pierre Formenty of the department of Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva. The new labs network can help to provide people in the field with better diagnostic tools. Clinicians need the diagnostic tools to know if they are treating Ebola or severe measles, or if cases of acute encephalitis are caused by Nipah, Japanese encephalitis or other pathogens as the various diseases require very different biosafety measures, management and support, Formenty says. WHO initiative builds on a long-standing process, whereby countries call on the laboratory and disease control expertise of another country for help in responding to outbreaks of new diseases--often by tapping into the know-how of 250 institutions in the WHO-coordinated Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For example, in 1999, when Malaysia detected 257 cases of febrile encephalitis among workers with exposure to pigs, and 11 cases were identified in Singapore, experts from Australia and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States of America (USA) teamed up to help find the cause. We were the only veterinary laboratory in the world able to work to biosafety level 4 at that time, explains Dr Peter Daniels, assistant director and theme leader, diagnosis, surveillance and response at the Australian Animal Health Laboratory, Geelong, Australia, a member of the new labs network. We were working with the Malaysians as part of a coordinated effort, helping on the animal health outbreak investigation side and setting up a Nipah testing laboratory in their national Veterinary Research Institute, while CDC worked on the public health side. Australian lab is also a Collaborating Centre for new and emerging diseases with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and a WHO Collaborating Centre for SARS. …