Drug resistant H1N1 found in U.S. and U.K.

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Drug resistant H1N1 found in U.S. and U.K.

Updated 1h 41m ago

By Steve Sternberg, USA TODAY

Epidemic experts say they are investigating the apparent spread of

Tamiflu-resistant swine flu virus among four patients at Duke

University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., and five in a hospital in

Wales.

These clusters appear to be the first in which a virus resistant to

the antiviral Tamiflu, a mainstay of flu treat, has spread from person

to person, researchers said Friday.

If Tamiflu-resistant virus spreads widely, swine flu will become

tougher to treat and may cost more lives, says Duke's Sexton,

who is leading the hospital's investigation.

Doctors say investigations of the two hospital outbreaks are underway,

but the preliminary genetic evidence suggests that the virus spread

among patients at the hospitals.

" The four patients involved in this situation had the same resistance

pattern, " says Sexton, adding that researchers at the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention are now testing virus samples from Duke

to see whether they're identical.

" The resistance pattern suggests that might be the case, " he says.

All of the Duke patients were located in a ward for people with cancer

or severe blood disorders. All were severely ill and were highly

susceptible to infections, Sexton says.

The patients became ill with flu in October. When they didn't respond

to Tamiflu two weeks ago, the hospital sent specimens of their virus

to see whether it might be resistant to antiviral treatment. The

results came back this week, prompting Duke to launch an

investigation.

CDC spokesman Dave Daigle confirmed that three CDC epidemiologists

have arrived at Duke to assist in the investigation, alongside

infectious disease experts from the hospital and the state health

department. The research team is also trying to determine whether

Tamiflu-resistant flu is circulating elsewhere in North Carolina.

Three of the four Duke patients have died, Sexton says. The fourth is

extremely ill but is being treated with another antiviral called

Relenza and appears to be recovering.

In Wales, doctors have confirmed five Tamiflu-resistant swine flu

cases in one ward of an unidentified hospital. Three more patients on

the ward are being tested for drug-resistant virus; a ninth patient is

infected with virus that is still susceptible to Tamiflu.

" At present we believe the risk to the general healthy population is

low, " Britian's Health Protection Agency said in a statement, noting

that there is no evidence that the resistant virus is any more

virulent than any other form of flu. A community-wide investigation is

ongoing, the agency said.

So far, like the swine flu virus isolated from the Duke patients, the

Wales virus remains sensitive to the antiviral drug Relenza.

As of Friday, the World Health Organization has reported 57 cases of

Tamiflu-resistant virus worldwide

Louis N. Molino, Sr. CET

FF/NREMT/FSI/EMSI

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