Unknown Respiratory Outbreak Korean University

Korean University Animal Research Center: Respiratory Outbreak Of Unknown Etiology

A mysterious virus has infected graduate students at Konkuk University's school of veterinary science in Seoul, According to the Korean CDC they are now investigating 31 (not 21 as reported earlier) pneumonia cases linked to a university animal research center.

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2015/10/29/2015102901785.html

Current PCR-negative infectious diseases tests

- Respiratory bacteria: Mycoplasma, Chlamydia, whooping cough, diphtheria
- Respiratory viruses: Merck's, adenovirus, RS virus, parainfluenza virus, virus meth pneumophila, Boca virus, influenza virus, corona virus

‧ PCR negative antibody test in progress or infectious diseases
- Brucellosis, Q fever, Legionella

Thanks technophobe but this is not my story, I just got the heads up from someone else.

The Korea Herald, indicates that the CDC is closely monitoring as many as 850 people who may have been exposed, and is urging anyone with ties to the facility and with symptoms to report them to the CDC immediately.


At this time, most common human and zoonotic infection have been tested for, and tentatively ruled out.  Some tests may need to be repeated, however.  For now, the cause remains a mystery.

 
A big thanks to AFD & Pathfinder for this story.

Although we still don’t know the cause of the Konkuk University pneumonia outbreak, the Korean CDC has released a epidemiology report on the event today. Over the past couple of weeks, 41 students and/or faculty members have been diagnosed with what has been described as a  `mild pneumonia’ and placed in isolation.

All appear to have had direct exposure to the Konkuk University Animal Life Sciences building, and thus far none of their close contacts have come down with the illness.  Numerous tests have been run, but so far no viral, bacterial, or fungal cause has been determined.   

The lack of transmission to contacts is a hopeful sign, and may indicate an `environmental’ exposure directly connected to the building.  Some press reports suggest lung biopsies are being tested for signs of mold or fungal infection.  So far, we’ve not seen any results.

The Korean CDC is cautiously hopeful that further spread will be limited.

It is still early days, but the good news is the Korean CDC isn’t repeating the mistakes of the opening weeks of their MERS outbreak, and is updating us regularly on their progress.

The epidemiological investigation into South Korea’s atypical pneumonia outbreak linked to the Konkuk University’s Animal Life Sciences building continues, with no specific cause yet determined.

Tests for the `usual suspects’ -  influenza, parainfluenza, adenovirus, coronavirus, bocavirus, Legionella,  etc. -  along with some exotics like Q fever and Brucellosis – have all come back negative.

There are currently 50 cases of x-ray confirmed mild or moderate pneumonia, and another 26 suspect cases with mild `flu-like’ symptoms.  Another 1,500 people – who either had contact with the affected building, or with those who have fallen ill – are being monitored.

Meanwhile, more in-depth testing continues, with environmental sampling at the life sciences building looking for mold, fungi, or chemical contamination that might explain this event.

Cultures of slow growing fungi can take weeks to complete and follow up serological testing is still a couple of weeks away, and so we may not get any definitive answers soon.

For now, all of the pneumonia cases appear to have a history of working at or visiting the animal life sciences building, and no secondary transmission to their contacts has been recorded.  The Korean CDC is cautiously optimistic that this indicates an environmental exposure of some sort, and that spread beyond the facility is therefore unlikely. 

It is unclear from the reports  whether any of the 26 `suspect’ cases fall outside of this building-contact category.  With the winter respiratory season underway, a certain number of non-related respiratory viruses are probably complicating the issue, so we’ll just have to wait and see.

Pneumonia outbreak UPDATE from Yonhap Television News English Nov 1st   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxCSkxoLrmE&feature=youtu.be/kxCSkxoLrmE

Although Korean investigators have yet to isolate a cause of the pneumonia outbreak centered around the Animal Life Sciences building at Konkuk University, there is good news today as no new cases (suspected or confirmed) have been added over the past 24 hours.

The case counts remains at  52 pneumonia cases in isolation and 28 with mild respiratory symptoms in home quarantine. None of the pneumonia cases are listed as severe, and many are now showing signs of recovery.

More than 1600 others – contacts of  patients or having exposure to the building - are being monitored. All of the pneumonia cases worked on floors 3-7 of the Life Sciences building. Other than 5 positive tests for Rhinovirus (considered an incidental finding), none of the extensive testing has revealed a plausible cause.

Serological testing, while negative so far, will need to be repeated in a couple of weeks.

Given the gradual slowdown in cases a week after the life sciences building was closed, and the lack of any secondary transmission to family contacts, investigators increasingly suspect an environmental contaminant (fungal, bacterial, or chemical) may be involved.   

Answers may take awhile, as environmental testing – particularly for fungi – can take several weeks or even months.

Tomorrow an advisory panel will meet to discuss the case-control study and to assess the epidemiological investigation into this outbreak.  Hopefully we’ll get more details then.

I would like to reminder the reader that this story is brought to you courtesy of AFD & Pathfinder. 

A slight change in the wording, "any outside spread will be limited". That tells me to expect some outside spread.   Limited spread is how SARS and MERS began. 

Starting to think we have a new unidentified coronavirus that made a leap to humans in their Animal life science building.  

Very observant Albert but this is not the WHO or the US CDC in Atlanta, I think that the Korean CDC say what they mean and from the interpretation of their statement I have no reason to doubt their assessment, their is no reason to suspect anything nefarious is going on at the moment but time will tell.  

Back in 2013, in mBio: A Strategy To Estimate The Number Of Undiscovered Viruses, researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, EcoHealth Alliance, the NIH, and universities and research centers around the world to estimate the number of yet to be identified viruses in the wild.

Their best estimate was there are a minimum of 320,000 mammalian viruses awaiting discovery.  The vast majority are benign to humans, but viruses continually evolve, and `bad actors’ can emerge at any time

After issuing no statements over the weekend, the Korean government is once again updating the epidemiological investigation into the unexplained pneumonia outbreak linked to the Animal Life Sciences building at Konkuk University.  

While the cause of this outbreak remains undetermined, the rest of the news is remarkably positive.

The big news over the weekend - of the 55 people hospitalized with x-ray confirmed pneumonia - 53 have now been discharged from the hospital. Two remain hospitalized, but are showing signs of improvement.

Equally encouraging, only those with direct exposure with the Life Sciences building developed pneumonia, leading investigators to be believe this was due to an environmental exposure (bacterial, fungal, chemical), not due to a human transmissible pathogen.

Testing for an environmental contaminant continues, and follow up serological testing will be done on the patients.  It could be some time before we get definitive answers, however.

Korean CDC: Konkuk Pneumonia Outbreak Update

With no new pneumonia cases reported in more than a week, and all but one of the previously announced 55 cases now released from the hospital, the Korean CDC has gone from issuing daily updates to posting far less frequent statements. Today’s marks the first since last Monday.

The one patient still hospitalized has test positive for Tuberculosis, although it isn’t clear from the translation whether this was a primary or an incidental finding.

Despite repeated testing, no causative agent or pathogen has been identified as the cause of this outbreak, although some testing (particularly for environmental contaminants) is still ongoing. While cause of half of all community acquired pneumonia cases often goes unidentified, drawing a blank for a cluster as large as this is unusual.

Given the lack of secondary spread beyond occupants of Konkuk University’s Animal Life Sciences Building, a bacterial, fungal, or chemical exposure where they all worked remains high on their suspect list.  

Will revisit this story if, and when, a cause is revealed.

WHO has just released Acute respiratory syndrome – Republic of Korea UPDATE !!!!

For those interested in this story,
http://www.who.int/csr/don/16-november-2015-acute-respiratory-syndrome/en

Funny.  I just said on this thread that is sounds like a new Korean Respiratory Syndrome.