Publications

clustering of cases of insulin dependent diabetes (iddm) occurring three years after hemophilus influenza b (hib) immunization support causal relationship between immunization and iddm.	the hemophilus vaccine has been linked to the development of autoimmune type 1 diabetes, insulin dependent diabetes (iddm) in ecological studies.	2002	12482192
safety and immunogenicity of influenza vaccination in individuals infected with hiv.	influenza can cause severe complications in hiv infected individuals leading to increases in hospitalisation and mortality. vaccination is recommended for such individuals, but some studies reported that immunisation against influenza may stimulate an increase of hiv viral load and decrease of cd4+ cells count. a review of published studies, including our study carried out in hiv former drug addicts, indicates that vaccination against influenza is well tolerated in both children and adult indivi ...	2002	12477415
outbreak of influenza, madagascar, july-august 2002.		2002	12476644
[is influenza vaccination required?].		2002	12469397
pandemic preparedness: lessons learnt from h2n2 and h9n2 candidate vaccines.	vaccination against influenza is considered to be one of the key interventions in case of a pandemic. unfortunately, shortages in vaccine supplies will occur because of the substantial increase in vaccine demands worldwide and the limited available supply resources. the recommended use of monovalent--instead of current trivalent--vaccines containing 15 micro g hemagglutinin (ha) per dose can theoretically triple vaccine volumes but is unlikely to meet the demand. furthermore, previous experience ...	2002	12458361
experience with the clinical development of influenza vaccines for potential pandemics.	during normal interpandemic influenza seasons, immune responses to vaccines are quite predictable and meet the licensing criteria of the european union (eu) committee for proprietary medicinal products (cpmp). in a pandemic situation, large sections, if not all of the community will be immunologically naïve and therefore new immunisation strategies will be needed. in 1976 and 1977 h1n1 vaccines were prepared and tested clinically. to stimulate 'protective' antibody responses, two doses of vaccin ...	2002	12458360
drug under test: influenza--relenza in daily practice. experience during the influenza season 1999/2000.	a total of 5-7 million cases of the disease, 4.5 million medical certificates, 25,000 admissions to hospital, 15,000 mortalities and direct and indirect costs amounting to several billions - that is the outcome of a "normal" influenza season (data provided by the influenza study group, agi, of germany on the 1998/99 season). with zanamivir (relenza), a selective inhibitor of the influenza-specific neuraminidase, a pharmaceutical product against influenza a and b is now available in germany for t ...	2002	12458355
efficacy and safety of zanamivir in patients with influenza--impact of age, severity of infections and specific risk factors.	influenza infections occur primarily in the winter season and may lead to serious morbidity and mortality, predominantly in patients with increased risk of complications; these include those with advanced age or with chronic clinical conditions. in this group, the rate of influenza-related hospitalization or death is considerably increased. new treatment options have been introduced for treatment of influenza infection, with the neuraminidase inhibitors zanamivir and oseltamivir being the most p ...	2002	12458354
neuraminidase inhibitors in the management of influenza--experience of an outpatient practice.	the neuraminidase inhibitors signifies a breakthrough in the treatment of influenza. we compared the outcomes of influenza in 56 patients treated with zanamivir or oseltamivir to a group of 52 influenza patients from the time before these drugs were available. the duration of illness was reduced by 45%, the severity of symptoms by 40% and the administration of antibiotics by 32%. the data from this small group of patients of our ambulatory practice correspond to the results of large randomized p ...	2002	12458352
laboratory diagnosis of influenza--virology or serology?	although classical influenza is a clinically typical illness ("unchanging disease due to a changing agent"), laboratory investigations are essential at the beginning of each influenza epidemic. they should confirm suspected influenza cases and exclude "flu-like illnesses" which may be caused by numerous other viral and bacterial agents. different virological as well as serological methods are available. for early diagnosis of acute influenza virus infections, virus detection using rapid procedur ...	2002	12458351
acute respiratory diseases/influenza sentinel 2000/2001.	a sentinel surveillance system of the public health service for acute respiratory diseases (ard), especially influenza, has been realized in the free state of saxony of germany for 25 years. the epidemiological sentinel is based on weekly registration of morbidity and mathematical-statistical calculations. for a microbiological sentinel, a fast diagnosis by nucleic acid amplification techniques and improvements of sample management in connection with the rapid transmission of results have been i ...	2002	12458350
real-time influenza surveillance in germany--results of a pilot project.	real-time surveillance information is the prerequisite for accurate influenza diagnosis followed by appropriate treatment of acute influenza with neuraminidase inhibitors. with realflu trade mark surveillance, hoffmann-la roche has developed an international early warning system for influenza. the feasibility of the newly developed real-time influenza surveillance in germany was tested and the results were compared with those of the established german influenza sentinel system of influenza study ...	2002	12458348
antigenic drift and variability of influenza viruses.	annual influenza epidemics are caused by rapid evolution of the viral genome. continuous and extensive antigenic variation has been shown for hemagglutinin (ha), the principal immunizing antigen of the virus. monitoring of the antigenicity of circulating influenza viruses is necessary for selection of the most suitable vaccine strains. in this study, characterization of influenza a/h3n2 and influenza b viruses recently circulating in germany was performed by molecular and antigenic analysis. seq ...	2002	12458347
zanamivir prophylaxis: an effective strategy for the prevention of influenza types a and b within households.	a double-blind, randomized study of inhaled zanamivir for the prevention of influenza in families was conducted. once a person with a suspected case of influenza was identified (index patient), treatment of all other household members (contacts) > or =5 years old was initiated. contacts received either 10 mg zanamivir or placebo inhaled once daily for 10 days. index patients received relief medication only. in total, 487 households (242 placebo and 245 zanamivir) were enrolled, with 1291 contact ...	2002	12447733
assessment of hemagglutinin sequence heterogeneity during influenza virus transmission in families.	to examine the molecular epidemiology of influenza virus transmission, the nucleotide sequences of the ha1 domain of the hemagglutinin (ha) gene of 57 influenza a and 24 influenza b viruses recovered in a single season were analyzed. no nucleotide sequence differences were found among the 10 viruses that were recovered twice from the same patient. the nucleotide sequences of influenza a viruses were identical within each family but varied among the 14 families included in the study. the sequence ...	2002	12447732
influenza a and b igg seropositivity and coronary atherosclerosis assessed by angiography.	infectious agents, in particular intracellular pathogens that can establish long-term, persistent seropositivity, may play an important role in atherogenesis. the possible association between influenza type a and b infection and angiographically proven coronary artery disease (cad) and the effect of the aggregate pathogen burden on cad was studied by testing blood from 218 patients undergoing coronary angiography for serum igg antibodies to influenza a and b, and for antibodies to four other pat ...	2002	12441011
serological evidence of transmission of human influenza a and b viruses to caspian seals (phoca caspica).	seroepidemiological surveillance of influenza in caspian seals (phoca caspica) was conducted. antibodies to influenza a virus were detected in 54% (7/13), 57% (4/7), 40% (6/15) and 26% (11/42) of the serum samples collected in 1993, 1997, 1998 and 2000 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa). in an hemagglutination-inhibition (hi) test using h1-h15 reference influenza a viruses as antigens, more than half of the examined elisa-positive sera reacted with an h3n2 prototype strain a/aichi/2/68 ...	2002	12437032
simultaneous detection of influenza a, b, and c viruses, respiratory syncytial virus, and adenoviruses in clinical samples by multiplex reverse transcription nested-pcr assay.	the clinical presentation of infections caused by the heterogeneous group of the respiratory viruses can be very similar. thus, the implementation of virological assays that rapidly identify the most important viruses involved is of great interest. a new multiplex reverse transcription nested-polymerase chain reaction (rt-pcr) assay that is able to detect and type different respiratory viruses simultaneously is described. primer sets were targeted to conserved regions of nucleoprotein genes of t ...	2003	12436489
a rapid, single-step multiplex reverse transcription-pcr assay for the detection of human h1n1, h3n2, and b influenza viruses.	influenza is a viral respiratory pathogen responsible for frequent seasonal epidemics. there are currently three major human influenza viruses in global circulation, h1n1, h3n2 and b.	2002	12423698
surveillance for influenza--united states, 1997-98, 1998-99, and 1999-00 seasons.	in the united states, influenza epidemics occur nearly every winter and are responsible for substantial morbidity and mortality, including an average of approximately 114,000 hospitalizations and 20,000 deaths/year.	2002	12418623
practical and sensitive screening strategy for detection of influenza virus.	this study evaluated the performance of directigen flua combined with a 3-day flu screening culture for the detection of influenza virus. this abbreviated protocol was a useful and effective tool and resulted in a substantial reduction in time, effort, and money spent, while not compromising sensitivity of influenza virus detection.	2002	12409430
cryopreserved cell monolayers for rapid detection of herpes simplex virus and influenza virus.	cryopreserved cell monolayers are a new cell culture technology intended to ensure the availability of cells in the laboratory for virus detection. two cryopreserved cell monolayers, elvis for the detection of herpes simplex virus (hsv) and r-mix for the detection of influenza virus, were evaluated. the results indicated that fresh and cryopreserved cell monolayers are comparable in sensitivity for the detection of hsv and influenza virus. the cells retain the same level of sensitivity for up to ...	2002	12409415
effects of prebiotics on the immune response to vaccination in the elderly.	prebiotics stimulate the growth of bifidogenic bacteria in the gut. the aim of this work was to assess the effects of a prebiotic mixture on the immune response in healthy elderly people.	2017	12405649
utility of zanamivir for chemoprophylaxis of concomitant influenza a and b in a complex continuing care population.	to describe compliance with and the safety and prophylactic efficacy of zanamivir among patients at risk of developing influenza-related complications after exposure to both influenza a and b viruses.	2002	12400891
from the centers for disease control and prevention. update: influenza activity--united states and worldwide, june-september, 2002.		2002	12400538
influenza review and outlook. 2002-2003, with additional considerations for differentiation from inhalation anthrax.		2002	12400233
a reverse genetics approach for recovery of recombinant influenza b viruses entirely from cdna.	the recovery of recombinant influenza a virus entirely from cdna was recently described (9, 19). we adapted the technique for engineering influenza b virus and generated a mutant bearing an amino acid change e116g in the viral neuraminidase which was resistant in vitro to the neuraminidase inhibitor zanamivir. the method also facilitates rapid isolation of single-gene reassortants suitable as vaccine seeds and will aid further investigations of unique features of influenza b virus.	2002	12388735
[the 2001/2002 influenza season and the vaccine composition for the 2002/2003 season].	the epidemic in the influenza season 2001/2002 was of moderate activity just like in 2000/2001. the influenza epidemic started in week 2 of 2002 when the clinical influenza activity reported by the general practitioner network of the netherlands institute of primary health care (nivel) increased. this was caused by influenza a viruses of the h3n2 subtype in particular. all influenza a viruses of this subtype were closely related to the vaccine strain for this subtype, a/moscow/10/99. influenza b ...	2002	12382372
update: influenza activity--united states and worldwide, june-september, 2002.	during june-september 2002, influenza a (h3n2) and b viruses circulated worldwide and were associated with mild to moderate levels of disease activity. influenza b viruses predominated in africa, and both influenza a (h3n2) and b viruses circulated widely in asia, oceania, and latin america, except in chile and taiwan, where a (h1) viruses predominated. in north america, sporadic isolates of influenza a (h3n2), a (h1), and b viruses were identified. this report summarizes influenza activity in t ...	2002	12375689
[influenza in poland in 2000].	in 2000 the number of cases of influenza and influenza-like illness (ili) registered in poland amounted to 1,596,920 (68.1% of 1999 cases). the highest influenza incidence was reported in łódzkie voivodship (9,388.8 cases per 100,000). among children aged 0 to 14 years the number of influenza and ili cases amounted to 408,495 (incidence 5,518.8 cases per 100,000) and was 25.5% of the total number of cases recorded in 2000. the number of patients referred to hospital was 7,028 and 358 persons die ...	2002	12371358
the value of polymerase chain reaction for the diagnosis of viral respiratory tract infections in lung transplant recipients.	respiratory viruses cause severe infections in lung transplant recipients, which require rapid and accurate diagnosis for appropriate management.	2002	12367651
dual infection with influenza a and b viruses.	a throat swab from a 7-year-old child with a mild influenza-like illness was cultured for respiratory viruses by standard and rapid plate culture methods. standard culture yielded influenza b, whereas influenza a was obtained from rapid plate culture. testing of the original sample by pcr confirmed the presence of both viruses. a surveillance program (viral watch) for respiratory viruses showed cocirculation of both these viruses in the community during this period.	2002	12233716
additional inhibitory effect of tea extract on the growth of influenza a and b viruses in mdck cells.	it has been previously reported that green-tea extract (gte) inhibits the growth of influenza virus by preventing its adsorption. in this study, we further investigated whether gte exerts an additional inhibitory effect on the acidification of intracellular compartments such as endosomes and lysosomes (referred to as els) and thereby inhibits the growth of influenza a and b viruses in madin-darby canine kidney cells. the vital fluorescence microscopic study showed that gte inhibited acidificatio ...	2002	12222936
histologic and in situ viral findings in the myocardium in cases of sudden, unexpected death.	the purpose of this study was to do in situ viral detection in myocardial tissues of individuals who suffered sudden unexpected death and to correlate the results with the postmortem histopathologic findings. thirteen cases were identified and the heart tissues were analyzed for adenovirus, cytomegalovirus, epstein barr virus, herpes simplex virus 1 and 2, human immunodeficiency virus 1 (hiv-1), influenza a, influenza b, parvovirus, rotavirus, picornavirus (including separate primers for enterov ...	2002	12218208
annual report of the national influenza surveillance scheme, 2001.	surveillance of influenza in australia in 2001 was based on data from national and state-based sentinel practice consultations for influenza-like illness, laboratory isolations of influenza virus and absenteeism rates from a national employer. in 2001, laboratory-confirmed influenza became a notifiable disease and was reported to the national notifiable diseases surveillance system (nndss). influenza a was the dominant type, 81 per cent of which were subtype h1n1 and 19 per cent were subtype h3n ...	2002	12206371
evaluation of a new dot blot enzyme immunoassay (directigen flu a+b) for simultaneous and differential detection of influenza a and b virus antigens from respiratory samples.	we report a prospective evaluation of a new dot blot enzyme immunoassay (eia) method for the direct, rapid, qualitative, simultaneous, and differential detection of the influenza a (ia) and b (ib) virus antigen in different respiratory samples. the eia method was compared with the shell vial culture system (mdck cell line) used with the same samples. we studied 160 samples from 93 (58.1%) pediatric patients (hospital emergency room) and from 67 (41.9%) adult patients (sentinel network). seventy- ...	2002	12202608
influenza burden of illness: estimates from a national prospective survey of household contacts in france.	the burden of influenza among ambulatory patients is still relatively unknown, although this knowledge is crucial for evaluating strategies against influenza. we estimated the impact of influenza in terms of uncomplicated morbidity and its consequences on health care utilization and lost workdays.	2002	12196082
human metapneumovirus as a cause of community-acquired respiratory illness.	human metapneumovirus (hmpv) is a recently identified paramyxovirus first isolated from hospitalized children with acute respiratory tract infections (arti). we sought evidence of hmpv infection in patients who had visited general practitioners, had influenzalike illnesses (ili), and had negative tests for influenza and human respiratory syncytial virus (hrsv). as part of national virologic surveillance, sentinel general practices in england and wales collected samples from patients of all ages ...	2002	12194763
economic analysis of influenza vaccination and antiviral treatment for healthy working adults.	physicians have several treatment options for influenza, including vaccination and various antiviral therapies. however, the optimal influenza prevention and treatment strategy is unknown.	2002	12186512
influenza vaccines in adults.	available influenza vaccines contain inactivated viruses, either whole or in parts, and are administered parenterally or intranasally. their composition varies yearly because of viral antigenic shifts and drifts. vaccines with a composition matching yearly world health organization recommendations are 72% [95% confidence interval (ci) = 54-83%] efficacious (prevention of influenza cases caused by influenza viruses a and b). their effectiveness [capacity to prevent clinical influenza, or influenz ...	2002	12181373
rescue of influenza b virus from eight plasmids.	influenza b virus causes a significant amount of morbidity and mortality, yet the systems to produce high yield inactivated vaccines for these viruses have lagged behind the development of those for influenza a virus. we have established a plasmid-only reverse genetics system for the generation of recombinant influenza b virus that facilitates the generation of vaccine viruses without the need for time consuming coinfection and selection procedures currently required to produce reassortants. we ...	2002	12172012
emergence of an influenza b virus with antigenic change.	influenza b virus yamagata group strains, isolated in the 2000 to 2001 influenza epidemic season, reacted poorly to the polyclonal ferret sera prepared against strains isolated earlier. the results of genetic analysis clarified that a point mutation of the nucleotide at position 126 in the ha1 region and the corresponding one-amino-acid substitution altered viral antigenicity.	2002	12149383
superoxide anion production by granulocytes incubated with hela 229 cells persistently infected with influenza virus b/lee/40.	the purpose of this study was to determine whether granulocytes can be primed to produce superoxide anion by incubation with cells persistently infected with influenza viruses.	2002	12145537
human influenza viruses activate an interferon-independent transcription of cellular antiviral genes: outcome with influenza a virus is unique.	we examine the ifn-alpha/beta-independent activation of cellular transcription that constitutes an early antiviral response of cells against influenza a and b viruses, which cause widespread epidemics in humans. we show that influenza b virus induces the synthesis in human cells of several mature mrnas encoded by genes containing an ifn-alpha/beta-stimulated response element (isre). consequently, the ifn regulatory factor-3 transcription factor, which is required for the transcription of isre-co ...	2002	12114540
synthesis and anti-influenza virus activity of 4-guanidino-7-substituted neu5ac2en derivatives.	substitution of 7-oh by small hydrophobic groups on zanamivir resulted in the retaining of low nanomolar inhibitory activities against not only influenza a virus sialidase but also influenza a virus in cell culture. these compounds were prepared by treatment of the corresponding 7-substituted sialic acids derived from 4-modified n-acetyl-d-mannosamine (mannac) using enzyme-catalyzed aldol condensation.	2002	12113809
influenza activity in china: 1998-1999.	during 1989-1999, influenza a h3n2 and h1n1 subtypes and b type viruses were still co-circulating in human population in china, while influenza a (h3n2) virus was predominant strain. the two antigenically and genetically distinguishable strains of influenza b virus were also still co-circulating in men in southern china. the antigenic analysis indicated that most of the h3n2 viruses were a/panama/2007/99 (h3n2)-like strain, the most of the h1n1 viruses were antigenically similar to a/beijing/262 ...	2002	12110253
influenza virus infection in adult solid organ transplant recipients.	solid organ transplant (sot) recipients have been reported to be more susceptible to influenza virus. however, little is known about the clinical epidemiology and the implications of influenza viral infection among sot recipients.	2002	12096793
bedside diagnosis of influenzavirus infections in hospitalized children.	for preventing nosocomial influenza infections and to facilitate prompt antiviral therapy, an accessible, rapid diagnostic method for influenzavirus is needed. we evaluated the performance of a lateral-flow immunoassay (quickvue influenza test) completed at the bedside of hospitalized children during the influenza season.	2002	12093950
quickvue influenza test for rapid detection of influenza a and b viruses in a pediatric population.	the performance of a lateral-flow immunoassay, the quickvue influenza test, for detection of influenza a and b viruses in comparison with that of cell culture was evaluated by using nasopharyngeal aspirates, in viral transport medium, from children with respiratory tract infections. the sensitivity and specificity were 79.2 and 82.6%, respectively.	2002	12093698
principles underlying the development and use of live attenuated cold-adapted influenza a and b virus vaccines.		2002	12081014
update: influenza activity--united states and worldwide, 2001-02 season, and composition of the 2002-03 influenza vaccine.	the 2001-02 influenza season in the united states was mild to moderate. influenza a (h3n2) viruses predominated, but influenza b viruses were identified more frequently than influenza a viruses toward the end of the season. worldwide, influenza a (h3n2) and b viruses predominated.this report summarizes influenza activity in the united states (september 30, 2001-may 18, 2002) and worldwide (october-may) during the 2001-02 influenza season and describes the composition of the 2002-03 influenza vac ...	2002	12079247
lower respiratory tract infections associated with influenza a and b viruses in an area with a high prevalence of pediatric human immunodeficiency type 1 infection.	despite the high burden of pediatric hiv-1 infection in developing countries, there are few data on the clinical course of influenza virus-associated lower respiratory tract infection (lrti) in these children.	2002	12075759
analysis of the desialidation process of the haemagglutinin protein of influenza b virus: the host-dependent desialidation step.	it was reported previously that haemadsorption by the haemagglutinin (ha) protein of influenza b virus required that the protein must undergo desialidation. when mdck and cos cells were infected with influenza b/kanagawa/73 virus in the presence of a neuraminidase (na) inhibitor, zanamivir, haemadsorption on mdck cells was inhibited but that on cos cells was not. the activity of the na protein of the two types of infected cells was similar and both were inhibited by zanamivir in a dose-dependent ...	2002	12075092
susceptibility of recent canadian influenza a and b virus isolates to different neuraminidase inhibitors.	forty-two influenza a and 23 influenza b isolates collected from untreated subjects during the 1999-2000 influenza season in canada were tested for their susceptibility to three neuraminidase inhibitors (zanamivir, oseltamivir carboxylate and rwj-270201 or bcx-1812) using a chemiluminescent neuraminidase assay. influenza b isolates were less susceptible than a viruses to all tested drugs. rwj-270201 was the most potent drug against both influenza a(h3n2) (mean ic(50): 0.60 nm) and b (mean ic(50) ...	2002	12062387
influenza virus infection, infectious burden, and atherosclerosis.		2002	12052970
depression and immunoreactivity in disabled older patients.		2002	12028269
isolation of recent variant influenza types a(h3n2), a (h1n1) & b strains in pune, india.	a total of 293 patients with influenza like illness were investigated during the course of continuous surveillance on influenza in pune, india in 2000. the throat/nasal swab specimens collected from these patients were inoculated in mdck cell culture and influenza types a(h3n2), a(h1n1) and type b strains were isolated. they were identified as similar to the recently prevalent variant strains; a/sydney/05/97(h3n2), a/new caledonia/20/99(h1n1) and b/sichuan/379/99. the latter two were the new var ...	2001	12025254
utilization of alpha-1-acid glycoprotein levels in the serum as a parameter for in vivo assay of influenza virus inhibitors.	alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (agp), an acute phase protein in serum assayed by single radial immunodiffusion using a commercially available kit, was found to significantly increase in mice infected with influenza a and b viruses. experiments were run to determine the rate of increase of serum agp and its relation to other influenza disease parameters, including lung consolidation, development of lung virus titres, decline in arterial oxygen saturation (sao2), histopathological changes in the lung, ...	2001	12018681
flu in the limelight.		2002	12009266
evaluation of diagnostic tests for influenza in a pediatric practice.	recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of influenza virus infections include: (1) rapid bedside diagnosis methods with simple commercially available tests; and (2) food and drug administration approval of treatment for children 1 year of age and older with neuraminidase inhibitor drugs. for proven benefit antivirals should be used within 2 days of onset of symptoms.	2002	12005080
prevention and control of influenza. recommendations of the advisory committee on immunization practices (acip).	this report updates the 2001 recommendations by the advisory committee on immunization practices (acip) regarding the use of influenza vaccine and antiviral agents (mmwr 2001;50 [no. rr-4]:1-44). the 2002 recommendations include new or updated information regarding 1) the timing of influenza vaccination by risk group; 2) influenza vaccine for children aged 6-23 months; 3) the 2002-2003 trivalent vaccine virus strains: a/moscow/10/99 (h3n2)-like, a/new caledonia/20/99 (h1n1)-like, and b/hong kong ...	2002	12002171
viral ion channels: structure and function.	viral ion channels are short auxiliary membrane proteins with a length of ca. 100 amino acids. they are found in enveloped viruses from influenza a, influenza b and influenza c (orthomyxoviridae), and the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (hiv-1, retroviridae). the channels are called m2 (influenza a), nb (influenza b), cm2 (influenza c) and vpu (hiv-1). recently, in paramecium bursaria chlorella virus (pbcv-1, phycodnaviridae), a k+ selective ion channel has been discovered. the viral channel ...	2002	11988179
influenza surveillance with rapid diagnostic tests.		2002	11981745
influenza update: vaccine development and clinical trials.	although influenza activity throughout the world has been relatively low during the past year, epidemics of influenza a, in particular, which are caused by new virus variants, continue to be a major public health problem. widespread vaccination is the only rational measure that can be used for the prevention of illness in key risk groups. although current inactivated split/subunit vaccines are reasonably effective, significant improvements have been shown to be possible in the boosting of respon ...	2002	11981310
evaluation of the directigen flua+b test for rapid diagnosis of influenza virus type a and b infections.	directigen flua+b (bd diagnostic systems, sparks, md.), a new rapid test for the detection of influenza virus types a and b, was evaluated with nasopharyngeal aspirate specimens collected from 250 patients in comparison with culture and direct fluorescent antigen (dfa) detection tests. the patients studied were predominantly children, 80% being </=6 years old. specimens negative by culture but positive by the directigen flua+b or dfa tests were analyzed by reverse transcription-pcr to resolve th ...	2002	11980941
from the centers for disease control and prevention. update: influenza activity--united states, 2001-02 season.		2002	11977235
evaluation of a single-step multiplex rt-pcr for influenza virus type and subtype detection in respiratory samples.	a single-step multiplex reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rt-pcr) for the simultaneous detection of influenza virus type and subtypes was evaluated for its use in clinical specimens. one part of each specimen was tested using an established standard culture and/or monoclonal antibody-based immunofluorescence assay method, and the other part was tested by the multiplex rt-pcr method for the presence or absence of the influenza virus, and its type and subtype. sixty-seven specimens ...	2002	11968055
mixed outbreak of parainfluenza type 1 and influenza b associated with tourism and air travel.	a preseasonal outbreak of influenza-like illness was reported in a tourist group that had returned from ireland to the united states on october 1 and 2, 1999. the authors investigated to determine the timing, extent, and nature of the outbreak.	2001	11962348
update: influenza activity--united states, 2001-02 season.	although data collected from the four components of the cdc influenza surveillance system are preliminary, national influenza activity appears to have peaked during the week ending february 23, 2002 (week 8). during the 2000-01 and 1999-2000 influenza seasons, peak activity occurred during week 4 and week 51, respectively. the viruses most commonly isolated during the 2001-02 season have been influenza a (h3n2). these viruses were well-matched antigenically by the 2001-02 influenza a (h3n2) stra ...	2002	11952280
composition of australian influenza vaccine for the 2002 season.		2002	11950207
fighting the flu.		2001	11930917
parenteral vaccination against influenza does not induce a local antigen-specific immune response in the nasal mucosa.	the immune response in the nasal mucosa to influenza vaccination in 23 patients scheduled for tonsillectomy was studied. a statistically significant increase in influenza virus-specific serum and oral fluid antibodies was observed 7 days after vaccination. the numbers of influenza virus-specific antibody-secreting cells (ascs) in peripheral blood also increased significantly 1 week after vaccination. the numbers of ascs in tonsils and nasal mucosa were compared with data from a recent study of n ...	2002	11920311
origin and evolution of influenza virus hemagglutinin genes.	influenza a, b, and c viruses are the etiological agents of influenza. hemagglutinin (ha) is the major envelope glycoprotein of influenza a and b viruses, and hemagglutinin-esterase (he) in influenza c viruses is a protein homologous to ha. because influenza a virus pandemics in humans appear to occur when new subtypes of ha genes are introduced from aquatic birds that are known to be the natural reservoir of the viruses, an understanding of the origin and evolution of ha genes is of particular ...	2002	11919291
influenza and current guidelines for its control.		2001	11916174
recurrent pneumonia as warning manifestation for suspecting primary immunodeficiencies in children.	two hundred and eight children with recurrent pneumonia were studied over a 5-year period. among these patients we found 10 cases with primary immunodeficiency disease: 6 cases of iga deficiency, 1 case of x-linked agammaglobulinemia, 1 case of common variable immunodeficiency, 1 case of hyper igm syndrome, and 1 case of wiskott-aldrich syndrome. this study describes the clinical features of these cases and assesses the usefulness of our immunodeficiency screening protocol. in this group 6 were ...	2001	11908819
in vitro characterization of a-315675, a highly potent inhibitor of a and b strain influenza virus neuraminidases and influenza virus replication.	a-315675 is a novel, pyrrolidine-based compound that was evaluated in this study for its ability to inhibit a and b strain influenza virus neuraminidases in enzyme assays and influenza virus replication in cell culture. a-315675 effectively inhibited influenza a n1, n2, and n9 and b strain neuraminidases with inhibitor constant (k(i)) values between 0.024 and 0.31 nm. these values were comparable to or lower than the k(i) values measured for oseltamivir carboxylate (gs4071), zanamivir, and bcx-1 ...	2002	11897583
recommendations pertaining to the use of viral vaccines: influenza.		2002	11894647
monitoring of influenza in the eiss european network member countries from october 2000 to april 2001.	in countries covered by the european influenza surveillance scheme (eiss), the 2000-2001 winter was marked mainly by the spread of influenza a(h1n1) viruses. influenza b, which globally represented a minority of cases, was common later in the season and predominant in great britain, ireland, and portugal. influenza activity was at its maximum during the period of january and february/march 2001 with little time lag between countries (maximum four weeks). overall, the morbidity rates reported wer ...	2001	11891380
activity of anthocyanins from fruit extract of ribes nigrum l. against influenza a and b viruses.	earlier, we have detected antiviral activity in an extract from ribes nigrum l. fruits ("kurokarin", name of the one species of black currant in japanese) against influenza a and b viruses, and herpes simplex virus 1 (knox et al., food processing 33, 21-23, 1998). in the present study, the antiviral activity of constituents of a kurokarin extract and the mechanism of its antiviral action were examined. kurokarin extracts were separated to fractions a to d by column chromatography. the major cons ...	2001	11885927
from the centers for disease control. update: influenza activity--united states, 2001-02 season.		2002	11885584
recommended composition of influenza virus vaccines for use in the 2002-2003 season.		2002	11883165
stabilizing cold-adapted influenza virus vaccine under various storage conditions.	various diluents, stabilizers, buffers, and storage conditions were assessed for their efficacy in stabilizing cold-adapted influenza virus vaccine. frozen liquid vaccine formulations, comprised of a normal uninfected allantoic fluid diluent and an spg (sucrose-phosphate-glutamate) stabilizer, generated complete stability of h1n1, h3n2, and type b strains for at least 1 year of storage at -20 degrees c. the ability to store live influenza virus frozen liquid vaccines, at the moderate temperature ...	2002	11879689
detection of type b influenza virus genes from biopsied gastric mucosa.	we previously reported the existence of type b influenza genes in the gastric mucosa of three patients. the purpose of the present study was to further characterize gastric mucosal infection with type b influenza virus, in which the natural host is limited to humans.	2002	11871759
supplementation of conventional trivalent influenza vaccine with purified viral n1 and n2 neuraminidases induces a balanced immune response without antigenic competition.	influenza viruses neuraminidase (na) were chromatographically extracted from influenza viruses a/nanchang/933/95 h3(nc)n2(nc) [r] and a/johannesburg/82/96 h1(jh)n1(jh) [r] and used to supplement conventional inactivated trivalent influenza vaccine. immunization of mice with this preparation resulted in high titers of antibodies to both hemagglutinins (ha) and neuraminidases (na); there were no significant differences in the anti-ha antibody titers between the conventional and the supplemented va ...	2002	11858877
the humoral response to live and inactivated influenza vaccines administered alone and in combination to young adults and elderly.	vaccination is the most effective way for prevention of severe influenza infection, but the present vaccines are not very efficient in the elderly.	2002	11856620
the use of zanamivir to treat influenza a and b infection after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.	the use of zanamivir in seven patients with influenza (three a and four b) post allograft is described. inhaled zanamivir (10 mg twice daily) was continued from the diagnosis of influenza until excretion of virus ceased (median duration 15 days, range 5 to 44 days). there was no toxicity attributable to zanamivir and rapid resolution of influenza symptoms was seen. there was no mortality due to influenza in the seven patients. the good outcome of 30 previous patients with influenza post transpla ...	2002	11850704
effect of maclorides on duration and resolution of symptoms and complication of pneumonia in children with influenza.	we randomly administered cephalosporins or macrolides to 365 pediatric patients with influenza-like symptoms and compared the clinical course and complication rate of pneumonia. one hundred and fifty-four patients received cephalosporins (group 1) and 211 received macrolides (group 2). there were no significant differences in age, male/female ratio and body weight between the two groups. macrolides alleviated fever significantly faster than cephalospoins (3.8plus minus 1.4 days vs 4.3plus minus ...	2002	11847511
influenza b infection associated with encephalitis: treatment with oseltamivir.	encephalitis associated with acute influenza infection is unusual in nonepidemic years. a case of a 10-year-old child with influenza b encephalitis and profound weakness who was treated with oseltamivir is presented. this case illustrates several of the unusual findings associated with influenza infections and the result of treatment of influenza b encephalitis with oseltamivir.	2002	11840091
update: influenza activity--united states, 2001-02 season.	although influenza activity in the united states remained low from october through mid-january, the number and percentage of specimens testing positive for influenza viruses have increased in recent weeks. laboratory-confirmed influenza infections have been reported from 45 states. the predominant influenza viruses isolated this season have been type a (h3n2) viruses that are well matched by this season's influenza vaccine. this report summarizes u.s. influenza activity from september 30, 2001 t ...	2002	11837911
an open-label comparison of the immunogenicity and tolerability of intranasal and intramuscular formulations of virosomal influenza vaccine in healthy adults.	many intramuscular inactivated influenza vaccines achieve suboptimal results in the prevention of respiratory disease and influenza complications. this has led to the current interest in developing effective oral or intranasal preparations.	2002	11833825
patient perspective on zanamivir in the treatment of influenza.	placebo-controlled clinical studies have shown zanamivir to be an effective treatment of influenza a and influenza b illness. this survey, conducted in france, was done to evaluate patients' perception of zanamivir in clinical practice. between january and mid-april 2000, 271 retail pharmacists gave questionnaires to patients with a prescription for zanamivir to be completed on a voluntary basis. a total of 514 patients returned completed questionnaires, of whom 97 (19%) were considered at high ...	2002	11831842
neuraminidase inhibitors for the treatment and prevention of influenza.	the impact of influenza virus infection is estimated to run into billions of dollars worldwide. vaccination plays a key role in prevention; however, vaccines do not provide complete protection against influenza due to the constant mutation of the virus responsible. unlike amantadine and rimantadine, which are only effective against influenza a, the new neuraminidase inhibitors zanamivir (relenza), glaxosmithkline) and oseltamivir (tamiflu), gilead/roche) are potent and specific inhibitors of inf ...	2002	11829724
role of picornaviruses in flu-like illnesses of adults enrolled in an oseltamivir treatment study who had no evidence of influenza virus infection.	the primary objective of this study was to determine the role of picornavirus in flu-like episodes (temperature of > or =38.0 degrees c plus one respiratory and one constitutional symptom) among otherwise healthy adults enrolled in a placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized oseltamivir treatment study. combined nasal and pharyngeal swabs were collected at baseline for influenza cultures and picornavirus reverse transcription (rt)-pcr. in addition, acute- and convalescent-serum samples were o ...	2002	11825938
[clinical evaluation of an immunochromatography test for rapid diagnosis of influenza].	we evaluated a rapid diagnostic kit that detects influenza type a and b viral antigens by immunochromatography, quick vue influenza test (quidel corp., san diego, ca, usa), with 425 specimens collected from patients with influenza-like symptoms at three hospitals between january and march 2001. the specimens included 184 nasal aspirates, 140 nasal swabs, and 101 throat swabs. the test correctly identified 179 of the 204 culture positive specimens and 203 of the 221 culture negative specimens; th ...	2001	11806139
from the centers for disease control. influenza activity--united states, 2001-2002 season.		2002	11797624
update: influenza activity--united states, 1999-2000 season.	influenza activity in the united states increased substantially during mid-december 1999 and appears to have peaked during the weeks ending december 25 (week 51) through january 15 (week 2). predominant viruses isolated this season have been influenza type a(h3n2) viruses, antigenically similar to the viruses that have predominated since the 1997-98 influenza season and were well matched to this season's vaccine. this report summarizes influenza activity in the united states during october 3,199 ...	2000	11795497
[evolution of influenza b viruses at the end of the 20th century].	influenza b viruses (48 strains) isolated in russia in 1992-2000 have been investigated. the majority (29 strains) were isolated in 1994-1995. the strains were isolated in embryonated eggs and mdck cells. study of their antigenic properties showed that all of them belonged to an evolutionary group b/jamagata/16/88-like viruses. antigenic drift in the hemagglutinin (ha) of epidemic strains isolated in russia was the same as in reference strains of this evolutionary group. ha proteins of isolated ...	2001	11785390
antibody responses to vaccinations given within the first two years after transplant are similar between autologous peripheral blood stem cell and bone marrow transplant recipients.	as a consequence of the significantly larger inoculum of lymphoid cells present in peripheral blood stem cell (pbsc) harvests compared to bone marrow (bm), it is possible that autopbsct recipients may have an earlier and*or enhanced response to vaccines. until data to confirm this become available, the european blood and marrow transplantation association (ebmt) recommend that all transplant recipients be immunized in the same way regardless of stem cell source. we performed a prospective study ...	2001	11781630
influenza diagnosis and treatment: a view from clinical practice.	influenza is a descriptive term for respiratory epidemic disease presenting with cough and fever. influenza viruses are probably the most important of the pathogens that cause this condition. clinical influenza occurs almost every winter in england and wales and the outbreaks last 8-10 weeks. in recent years, influenza b virus outbreaks have occurred in january and february, whereas influenza h3n2 virus outbreaks have generally started long before christmas. influenza h3n2 virus outbreaks pressu ...	2001	11779394
treatment of influenza with neuraminidase inhibitors: virological implications.	evaluation of the emergence of influenza virus resistance to neuraminidase inhibitors (nais) is now demanded following experience with amantadinamines. preliminary data have indicated that nai-resistant virus is unlikely to emerge readily in the clinic and this is consistent with the difficulty experienced in selecting resistant virus in vitro. resistance mutations can occur in both neuraminidase and haemagglutinin genes. the neuraminidase mutations are viral subtype specific and, therefore, cli ...	2001	11779389