Human H5N1 Virus Replikin Count Overtakes That in H5N1 'Bird Flu'
December 28 2006 - 10:37AM
PR Newswire (US)
BOSTON, Dec. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- A common question asked at current
scientific conferences is: "Where did bird flu go?" The recent
decrease in reported H5N1 human cases and bird outbreaks might
indicate that the virus has become dormant. However, quantitative
analysis by Replikins, Ltd. released yesterday of human H5N1 virus
sequences in 2006 has found that the Replikin Count(TM) has
significantly increased beyond all annual previous levels reported
in chickens and humans. The Replikin Count(TM) determined by virus
protein software analysis, provides an index of the capacity for
virus rapid replication. The Replikin Count(TM) is defined as the
number of replikin peptide sequences per 100 amino acids of virus
protein, that is concentration, and is independent of the number of
specimens examined. Rather than declining, the Replikin Count(TM)
in humans in 2006 has risen 35% over that in 2005, and outstripped
the Count in all reported chicken H5N1 virus specimens, both with
reference to the mean and the range, of the peptides in all human
H5N1 virus specimens reported by the National Library of Medicine.
With the rise in Replikin Count(TM) in human H5N1, (3.7(+/-4.1) in
2005 to 5.0(+/-5.9) in 2006, p