Nature WEB FOCUS---2

1月24日の投稿で紹介した「概要」とかさなるところが多いが、以下も文でも1918年のスペイン風邪のウイルスの特徴が推測されている。ここに書かれている「特徴」を簡単にまとめてみましょう。

The work of Kobasa et al. substantiates the findings of Kash et al., who showed in mice that the 1918 virus triggered a vigorous innate immune response that was linked to fatalities. Although the mechanisms of tissue destruction were not addressed in either study, the work clearly demonstrates the vital function of early innate immune defences in controlling the virus. It seems that the pandemic 1918 virus had a genetic composition and rapid replication kinetics that may have resulted in an excessively vigorous innate immune and inflammatory response that contributed to severe tissue damage, disease and death.
These conclusions correspond to the striking epidemiological data showing that, unlike contemporary influenza strains, which typically affect the very young and the elderly most severely, the 1918 influenza pandemic was mostly fatal in young adults, who generally possess more robust immune systems. Unveiling the contribution of an aberrant host response to the pathogenesis of the 1918 virus is just the beginning of efforts to understand the disease mechanisms underlying the 1918 pandemic and new virulent strains of influenza virus. The emergence of the H5N1 avian influenza or 'bird flu' virus, and its transfer to the human population, are real and continuing threats1 that underscore the importance of the current study and of characterizing highly pathogenic forms of flu virus. A better understanding of the origin, transmission and virulence of pandemic influenza viruses, and their interactions with host immune processes, will assist our preparation against future and possibly deadly influenza pandemics.
[from"Influenza: Fatal immunity and the 1918 virus"(Nature,18 January 2007)]