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Thus far, eight Utahns are believed to have been infected with West Nile virus. The latest victims were two children who were hospitalized with meningitis, which is a severe form of the disease that occurs in one in 150 people infected with the virus.

Statewide, West Nile activity is on the upswing, with one-third of the state’s counties reporting that the virus had been detected in humans, animals, a mosquito pool or a combination. The affected counties are along the Wasatch Front, in the Uintah Basin and in Southern Utah.

The best course against West Nile virus is to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. That means avoiding the great outdoors between dusk and dawn, when Culex tarsalis, the mosquitoes responsible for spreading West Nile virus in Utah, fly and bite. If people must be outdoors, they should wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts and insect repellent containing DEET. DEET, the common name for N,N- diethyl-meta-toluamide, does not kill biting insects but it renders them unable to locate their prey for hours. It disrupts their ability to detect sources of carbon dioxide — the gas naturally given off by human skin and breath, which attracts mosquitoes and other insects.

Although recent news reports about a growing number of human cases of the virus are disturbing, the reports need to be kept in perspective. As public health threats go, Utahns are at far greater risk of being involved in a motor vehicle crash, a water accident or contracting the flu.

Still, prevention is the wisest course in staving off West Nile virus, which is most problematic for the very young, seniors and people with weak immune systems. Other prevention steps include eliminating stagnant water around homes because it is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Homeowners should also trim weeds and grasses. These prevention measures are simple and effective.

The good news is, it’s only a matter of time until the first hard frost halts Utah’s mosquito population — until next year.

Copyright C 2005 Deseret News Publishing Co.
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.

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Sir: Intelligent design means there have to be agents of decay or there would be no compost for plants to grow on, and no food for future generations. Bacteria and viruses may be unpopular with humans but they show a super-intelligence when it comes to recycling. Steven Hill (letter, 25 August) mistakes human judgement for absolute judgement.

FRANK SCOTT

LONDON W11

Copyright 2005 Independent Newspapers UK Limited
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.

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STOCKTON — A woman from southern San Joaquin County has tested positive for the West Nile virus, becoming the first infected human in the county, officials said Monday.

The woman, whose name and home town were being kept confidential, was reportedly doing well, said county spokeswoman Connie Cassinetto. The woman had recently traveled outside the county, making it unclear if she contracted the virus near her home.

Three people were discovered to have the virus last year, and all three survived. One was not showing any symptoms at the time the illness was discovered, Cassinetto said.

The San Joaquin County West Nile Virus Task Force revealed Friday a horse in Tracy had become infected with the virus and had been euthanized.

The week before, two dead infected scrub jays were found in Manteca and Lodi, bringing the number of dead birds infected with the virus to 17 this year, according to the task force.

As of Friday, 56 people from 14 counties had been infected with the virus. One man from Kern County died after contracting West Nile.

To keep from being bitten by mosquitoes, the task force recommends:

-Avoid spending time outside at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active. They are especially active for about two hours after sunset

- When outdoors, wear long pants, long sleeve shirts, and other protective clothing.

-Apply insect repellent containing DEET according to label instructions.

-Make sure doors and windows have tight fitting screens. Repair or replace screens with tears or holes.

-Eliminate all sources of standing water that can support mosquito breeding.

c2005 ANG Newspapers. Cannot be used or repurposed without prior
written permission.
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.

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A virus known in Europe for more than 40 years, strawberry latent ringspot virus (SLRSV), has now been discovered in North America. Testing in 2003 showed it to be present in 17 percent of California strawberry samples and 4 percent of British Columbia strawberry samples–though in just one sample in 2004. Since the virus was also found in a variegated mint that is widely sold here, SLRSV is likely to become widespread in North America. It can infect many broadleaf crops and dramatically decrease yields.

SLRSV is reported to be spread by the nematode Xiphinema diversicaudatum, so researchers were surprised to find it in strawberries, a crop that’s usually planted in soils that have been fumigated to control nematodes. They think the virus may have another vector transmitting it and are investigating that possibility. They also think it may have been here for many years, undetected, on the ornamental mint, which is popular for its bright-yellow, vein-banding pattern. Since many of the chemicals traditionally used to control nematodes are being disallowed because of environmental concerns, work is under way to find alternatives to curb the spread of SLRSV and other nematode-transmitted viruses. Robert R. Martin, USDA-ARS Horticultural Crops Research Unit, Corvallis, Oregon; phone (541) 738-4041, e-mail martinrr@science. oregonstate.edu.

COPYRIGHT 2005 U.S. Government Printing Office
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group

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Nipah virus clue. Two separate teams of U.S. scientists–one from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD, and another from the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Pennsylvania (Penn)–recently reported that they have identified the mechanism by which Nipah virus infects cells. The virus, which is carried by fruit bats and is spread to humans either directly or through intermediary livestock, is one of the more lethal emerging infectious diseases (see "The nature of zoonotic diseases: ecology, prediction, and prevention," MLO, July 2005, p. 10). Both research teams found that the virus infects cells by attaching to the Ephrin-B2 protein, a cell receptor found in the brain and in the lining of blood vessels. According to Dr. Benhur Lee, the lead researcher of the UCLA/Penn study, this knowledge should lead to the development of therapeutic drugs to treat the virus and to a vaccine to prevent infection.

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Nipah virus, which is now considered a potential bioterrorism agent, first appeared in humans and pigs in Malaysia in 1998. That first outbreak caused the deaths of 100 people–40% of those infected–and the culling of 1 million pigs. In a series of outbreaks in Bangladesh since 2001, the human death rate has increased to 70%, seeming to indicate that the virus is mutating into a more lethal form.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Nelson Publishing
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning

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