Experts Claim to Have Discovered SARS Antibodies

China Daily ^ | 5.16.03

[riri]

A Chinese newspaper reports that Chinese experts claim discovery of SARS antibodies that may one day help protect people against the disease.

The China Daily quotes Li Gang, a medical researcher specializing infectious disease as saying that after three months of research his team has detected two kinds of antibodies - IgG and IgM - in SARS patients.

Mr. Li says IgG, or Immunoglobulin G, is what all SARS patients have during recuperation and on recovery.

Mr. Li says people who have recovered from the disease should be traced to see they still have the antibody. He predicted that vaccines would be developed from it to immunize people against SARS.

He said IgG is not detected in the blood serum of patients who have been infected for a week or less, but IgM is found during the second week of infection. However, he said IgM disappears three months after the patient is infected with the virus.

Meanwhile, China has suspended foreign adoptions to help halt the spread of SARS, while Taiwan's health minister has resigned to take responsibility for the outbreak there.

Four new SARS deaths were reported in China Friday, bringing the nationwide toll to 275. In Beijing, the government-run China Center for Adoption Affairs announced it is suspending travel documents that allow foreigners to adopt children from orphanages.

In Taiwan, three more SARS deaths were announced Friday, including two doctors, raising the island's toll to 37. Health director Twu Shiing-Jer quit his job, as international health experts expressed concern that the virus is spreading from Taipei to the south of the island.

[riri]

ping

[aristeides]

I think stopping the foreign adoptions is much more likely to be because the Chicoms want to limit foreign knowledge of the spread of SARS within China.

[Judith Anne]

If everyone in China who has it and spreads it is shot or imprisoned, what is the likeliest outcome of that?

No one will dare say he/she is sick--even with an innocent cold...people will just disappear, and will be said to be traveling, or working elsewhere, or to have run off--and the hospitals will have fewer and fewer cases, people will just stay home, die in bed and be buried in fields at night...and the Chicoms will happily announce that they have won the war against SARS...

[riri]

Interesting tidbit. My husband had, yet another, an all day meeting this week and, as usual for lately, SARS made it's way into the slide presentation. They got talking about the travel freeze re: China. It was said all of the people who normally go there are getting "antsy" about being stuck stateside and many are calling for a resumption of travel to China-they are not concerned about SARS.

[riri]

oops. Heresay, where's my source?

[aristeides]

Idiocy. SARS is certainly not over. Taiwan's SARS Cases Take Biggest Jump Yet .

[Judith Anne]

Interesting, thanks. Something to think about.

[aristeides]

SARS strikes tourist after visit to Japan .

[EternalHope]

Sorry to nitpick, but this one looks like no more than Chinese BS designed to calm the masses. It's an interesting attempt by the Chicoms to make themselves look good, but does not represent any medically useful new information.

Rather than just yell BS! and move on, I included the rest of this post is to explain why I think this.

Antibodies are specifically shaped protein molecules, unique to the disease they were created by the body to fight. They are referred to as "immunoglobulins" (hence the "Ig" in the terminology used to classify them). The five general classes are IgG, IgA, IgM, IgD, and IgE. IgG is the most common, usually about 80% of the total.

The body creates a unique immunoglobulin protein shape to fight each specific disease it comes in contact with. Although these proteins are unique to the disease being fought, they have similarities that allow them to be grouped together into the above classifications.

In other words, we ALL have IgG and IgM antibodies, whether we have SARS or not. The only significant issue is what specific antibodies SARS makes, and how long it takes for them to be present in enough numbers for us to detect them.

SARS has long been known to trigger an immune response within the IgM class of antibodies. Since the IgM class is usually at a relatively low level, an elevated IgM sticks out like a sore thumb. We have had tests that will easily spot an elevated IgM for a long time.

The problem is that SARS does not seem to elevate antibody levels early in the course of the disease. That is why we still do not have a reliable blood test to confirm a diagnosis of SARS until a person has been symptomatic for several days.

In other words, nothing in this article indicates the Chinese are on to anything new. However, it sounds good and may help the Chicoms look good to their people.

[EternalHope]

Since you were the other two posters on this thread, I meant to address you two (as well as riri) when I posted #10.

[The Pheonix]

I thought what the Chicoms said was that those who are caught in China with intentionally (evil intent) to knowingly an deliberately spread SARS will be imprison from 10 years to life or even executed depending on the severity of the crime

Those are sick and go to hospitals won't be charged with this law.........

[Judith Anne]

You make a good point, and I would consider it valid except for the fact that hospital treatment is too expensive for many Chinese. One question: those who cannot afford hospital treatment (there was an article posted about a student who was caught in a Catch-22 situation, did you see it?) who do not go to the hospitals--are they considered "intentional spreaders"? Even though the Chinese government has said that everyone will be treated for SARS free of charge in hospitals whether they can afford it or not, that doesn't seem to be the case.

In the example of the student, she was not allowed to leave before paying her bill--and in China, that means forced to stay. Most likely those who cannot pay are made to help care for the other sick patients and "work off" the bill. So, do you go to a hospital you can't afford and become a prisoner if you survive? Or do you stay away? And if you stay away, are you an "evil, intentional SARS spreader"?

These thoughts are the way I'm reading the situation. I have no personal knowledge and could be wrong.

[AdA$tra]

Sorry to nitpick, but this one looks like no more than Chinese BS designed to calm the masses.

Probably true. I am willing to bet the farm that China will erdicate SARS rather quickly. Either they do have the anti-bodies and have had them all along.....or.....they will line up their SARS patients and treat the infection with AK-47's.

[The Pheonix]

I recall seeing the TV interview of the Chicom Minister of Health who said that their Govt has allocated money to combat SARS and will pay any Hospital for the costs of treating SARS, if the patients are too poor to pay

[Judith Anne]

Yes, there was an article posted here that had that information in it, too. I guess that's like the statistics from the Chicoms--untrustworthy, again.