Patient Hospitalized For Possible SARS Exposure Dies; Tests Come Back Negative

WRAL Raleigh, North Carolina ^ | 2003-06-13 | Reporter: Stephanie Hawco, OnLine Producers: Michelle Singer and Kamal Wallace

[Lessismore]

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- One of two patients being monitored in the Triangle for possible exposure to SARS died Friday. Preliminary tests from the Centers for Disease Control were negative. Meanwhile, dozens of people in the Triangle are under quarantine for possible exposure to SARS.

[TaxRelief]

The equation does not take into account the quantitiy of virus parts (cells) needed to infect someone. For instance, norovirus requires as little as 10 particles to cause an infection. SARS on the other hand needs a significant number of virus parts to cause the disease. Indeed there is evidence that those that are "superinfected" go on to be superinfecters (as much as 100 people, say). A normal case might only be responsible for infecting 2 to 5 people and have a p (sub t) of 1/250. (Based on multiple cases of SARS on airlines and in schools and not transmitting)

"T" will be difficult to pinpoint since the contagious period probably begins at onset of symptoms but continues up to 10 days following recovery.

Most cases (in adults) "T" is approximately 1 month. "T" in children is as little as 12-14 days, because children seem to stop shedding as there symptoms improve.

[IYAAYAS]

That would seem to reinforce my point, the AIDS virus is already "using" the receptors on the white blood cells that SARS needs.

[Logical Extinction]

What is known about the genetic profiles of those more likely to be infected vs. those least likely?

---

Virtually nothing

[Logical Extinction]

To further illustrate your point, children and patients above 75 years of age express a milder form of Sars when infected.

This is not unique to Sars. Mumps and chicken pox also affect adults more severely than the elderly and children.

It is not the Sars virus but a patient's excessive immune response to the virus that causes lung damage and death.

Children and the elderly have weaker immune systems and thus the over-reaction is limited.

[TaxRelief]

But the children all have lived, while many older patients have died.

[Logical Extinction]

The equation does not take into account the quantitiy of virus parts (cells) needed to infect someone.

---

p_t must reflect all of your points, plus quite a few other factors.

As to T: If the number is 30, as you hypothesize, then that is very bad news.

[Logical Extinction]

It is strange. At age 70 you present SARS much as a 40 year old patient would, however by the age 75 your immune system is much more childlike and your course of disease is relatively mild.

This falls under the category of small blessings in a very sad story.

[Future Useless Eater]

Thanks BJ, here is what jumped out from that article for me...

[But in a study of the first 10 Canadian cases] They noted that of the four Canadians who had a history of smoking, all had required mechanical ventilation, which means they were hit more severely, as compared to only one of the six who had never smoked.

[Prince Charles]

More from Dr. Niman:

I think that the spread of SARS CoV voa mild infections is a significant concern.  I think the jury is still out on the role of asymptomatic patients. My main concern is the spread of the SARS CoV, setting the stage for a major epidemic via susceptible patients or additional mutations.

The SARS CoV has mutated significantly since it jumped to humans last fall. The 29 nt deletion, coupled with the 7 Metropole Mutations has set the stage for widespread infection of potentially fatal viral infections.

I think the use of the case definition has done a reasonable job of containing SARS. I suspect it has done a rather poor job of containing the SARS CoV.

Widespread testing of impacted areas like Toronto will help determine how far and wide the virus has spread, If it has been limited to suspect and probable SARS cases, then containment is possible, but still difficult. If it has spread widely into the community, then the Fall flu and cold season will create major problems that will likely dwarf the recent experience, which stretched resources quite thinly in infected areas.

I think that the early PCR data on patients with mild SYMPTOMS, suggests the viral spread has been significant. I don't think that this spread has been closely monitored because infections that cause mild symptoms blend in with symptoms caused by many other diseases.

I also think that retrospective studies measuring SARS CoV antibodies will define the extent of spread, which I believe has been significant in hard hit areas.

[Future Useless Eater]

>>>Fl_Engineer,any charts showing which patients got which drugs and...how long each patient lived?

sorry, I don't have access any insider information

[Karson]

http://www.dhhs.state.nc.us/docs/sars.htm

[Betty Jo]

Thanks

[Karson]

Are you in the "Triangle"? If so, you might have already heard of this case.

Posted on Thu, May. 29, 2003

N.C. Swimmer Dies From Tick Bite
Associated Press

PANAMA CITY, Fla. - A University of North Carolina swimmer from Florida has died after being bitten by a tick that gave her Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Andrea Erben, 19, of Panama City, died from the disease Tuesday at the University of Alabama-Birmingham Hospital, said her father, Steve Erben.

"She didn't know she had it," he said Wednesday. "Initially, she was diagnosed with the flu at Chapel Hill (N.C.)."

Rest of Article

RMSF or SARS?

[First Amendment]

To raise temperature here are a couple ideas: drink hot ginger tea, while soaking feet in hot water and wrapped in a blanket, then go to bed all wrapped up. Keep up the ginger tea.

[Domestic Church]

Saw a tidbit on discovery health linked into my homepage about licorice ( Perhaps too good to be true,lol) containing something that seems to attack SARS well but when I tried to cut & paste an error page immediately came up. I think it might have been an AFP story. Anyone see this yet?

[Betty Jo]

Lets hope that her case is really checked out.

[aristeides]

That has been reported about licorice. There was a thread about it a couple of days ago.

[aristeides]

Andrea Erben got sick around May 6. I think that makes it too early for her to have caught SARS from the guy who went to Toronto.

[firewalk]

Thanks for the ping
bttt

[CobaltBlue]

Sauna or hot tub? I really, really want a hot tub, but there are far more necessary things to get first -- but if hot tubs can save you from SARS -- heh, heh.