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Tuesday, April 1, 2003
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West Nile threats continue
'allege Station, Houston areas affected by the virus
By Adam Reed
THE BATTALION
I Although the West Nile virus gained
lational focus upon its entry into the east-
Irn United States in late 1999 and Texas in
■002, the threat is still a concern to Texans,
|specially those in rural areas near Houston
id College Station.
Many people are under the impression
irtant to remember is tor fiat mosquitos remain dormant or move to
and not to continue the f warmer climate during the colder winter
ifionths. However, the insects are always
rat,” is rated R for violent fresent, said Dr. Jim Olson, entomologist
and 7:05 p.m. until with the Texas Agricultural Experiment
wood Theater. i^Htation.
I “We never run out of mosquitos — at
levant
West Nile Virus Map - 2002
Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Travis Swenson • THE BATTALION
Smallpox vaccine used to fight cancer
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uth-oriented Christian maj
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eanwhile, the magazine use a j-^^y vaccine
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a daily news update, sit SITia Hp 0X inoculation prone to
torn the magazine, mentu some b ac p occasionally deadly,
' 00111 pany s books and oti s j c | e effects are, as the altered
, easily digested items, shots’ creator puts it, “an immu-
o one on the Relevant stafi nologist’s dream:” They may rev
d as 30. No one can St? U p an immune system that too
l forever, but Strang plansi often misses cancer.
5 th 6 W1 th more twet Although still in very early
tethings in the future, stages of research, the smallpox-
Ve are never going to lot turned-cancer shots look promis-
with our target audiens j n g They’re the latest in a long
ise the magazine is goia q ues t to create immune-hamess-
put out by people in the j n g vaccines to attack cancer.
/ho know the audience* “We’re not there yet,” cau-
to reach,” he said. tions Jeffrey Schlom of the
rang cut to the heart« National Cancer Institute, a spe-
Relevant really wants: cialist on cancer-treating vaccines
to its readership. who created the smallpox vac-
le issues are age-old, at cine-based approach. “But we’re
mpler to grasp for tli£ getting there.”
rity: Despite the name, most so-
low does prayer affect u called cancer vaccines don’t
aim to prevent tumors. These
are not classic inoculations like
the flu shot or even regular
smallpox vaccine, which teach
the body to recognize and sub
least in this part of Texas — we just change
species with the season,” Olson said.
The Center for Disease Control is aware
of at least one mosquito species that is able
to survive the low winter temperatures.
“One of the species of mosquitos found
to carry West Nile virus is the Culex
species, which survives through the winter,
or ‘overwinter,’ in the adult stage,” the
CDC Web site explained.
Like the CDC, Olson is concerned about
the Culex quinquefasciatus species, also
known as the southern house mosquito.
“If it warms up — with all this standing
water around — we could see an early rise
of the southern house mosquito,” he said.
“The earlier those things start to show up,
the earlier we see cycling of viruses like St.
Louis encephalitis and West Nile.”
This year’s milder southern climates
have provided a comfortable home for
other species as well. Many are just now
reaching their population peak in Central
Texas and Southeast Texas because of the
abnormally wet conditions in these regions.
The black and white-striped Asian tiger
mosquito, or Aedes albopicuts, may also be
on the rise because of these conditions,
Olson said.
As soon as average temperatures surpass
60 degrees during the day and overnight,
more spring-time mosquito species will
arrive in the Houston and College Station
areas. Entomologists anticipate the arrival
of the summer species as temperatures
climb into the 80s. Experts have observed a
correlation between outbreaks of West Nile
and other mosquito-borne viruses with the
arrival of the bird-nesting season, and
expect the same relationship this year.
“Nesting birds are a nursery for viruses
like West Nile and St. Louis encephalitis in
terms of ready access to mosquitos that
feed on birds, and transmission of the dis
ease agents from birds to mosquitos and
back to birds,” Olson said.
While the Culex species is predominant
ly a bird feeder, it may occasionally feed on
humans, Olson said.
“But, it is more apt to feed on humans
when they get inside a house where they
don't have the option,” he said. “So it's very
important to keep mosquitos outside where
they belong.”
To prevent mosquito threats, yellow-col
ored outside lighting is recommended
instead of white or mercury-type bulbs, and
residents should ensure that screens cover
ing windows and doors are secure and
without holes. Mosquitos tend to congre
gate and breed near areas of standing water,
so it is important to remove anything that
may collect water.
Olson says regional precautions are
already being taken, and experts are
preparing for the worst to make sure they
are prepared.
“We've got the virus now, so we're going
to have to see how it builds up in the bird
population and how it spreads from there,”
he said. “We really don't have a feel on just
how much immunity we've got in the resi
dent populations of birds, horses and
humans from last year.”
CDC director Dr. Julie Gerberding said
national precautions are being taken in the
form of pesticides, according to The
Associated Press. The pesticides being
used to limit the mosquito population pose
no health threat to humans, she said.
“There are very, very few, if any, health
consequences,” she said. “Basically they’re
safe, and the risks they present are out
weighed by the benefits of reducing the
mosquito population.”
The CDC offers additional helpful sug
gestions for protecting yourself and your
property from the West Nile threat. For
information on these precautions to protect
humans and animals, visit the CDC Web
site at http://www.cdc.gov.
Gene that makes
CEA marker
Using smallpox vaccine to fight cancer
The body’s immune system doesn’t always spot cancer because
tumors are made of the body's own cells, not foreign germs. Now
scientists are using the smallpox vaccine in a treatment that causes
the immune system to better recognize and attack cancer. Smallpox
vaccine Is made from the vaccinia virus, which is big enough to
carry extra genes.
Vaccine injected
A gene that makes a marker
called CEA is inserted into a
weakened vaccinia virus. CEA
is found on many cancer cells.
In addition, three immune-
boosting molecules are added.
The body responds
Heightened immune cells spot
CEA inside the vaccinia, and
begin to hunt it in other cells
around the body, thus
attacking tumors.
Tumor
4.....0 CD
SOURCE: National Cancer Institute
Immune cells
attack vaccinia virus
and cancer cells
Emily Brannan/AP
How do I make a diffi
in the world? What ma
Why am I here? Are my
on earth all there is?
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nd something in the mag: due an invading virus or germ,
hat connects with them, preventing illness,
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ful edginess with trad always recognize cancer as
religious fare will al« something to attack, because
e a deft touch by Strang, tumors are made up of your own
e magazine’s nine staffer cells gone bad, not foreign
Christians, but Strang sflB' ' '
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vith the magazine’s
graphic.
germs. The hope with therapeu
tic cancer vaccines is to train
powerful immune-system T
cells to more easily spot and
attack malignant cells.
More than a dozen Phase 3
studies — the most advanced
testing — of first-generation vac
cines are under way. Most involve
making patients custom shots
using their own tumor cells
mixed with immunity-boosting
chemicals. Researchers frequent
ly see a handful of people whose
cancer dramatically shrinks, even
disappears, for at least a while.
But those amazing respons
es are rare, because cancer
adapts to treatments, says
NCI’s Dr. Steven Rosenberg.
So scientists are trying to
develop more elaborate, hopeful
ly better, vaccines.
Enter smallpox vaccine.
Schlom thought it could prove a
good cancer-fighting platform
because it’s made with live vac
cinia vims, a smallpox relative
that’s so large that adding differ
ent genes into it is fairly easy.
Also, it’s highly reactive, quickly
causing a distinctive, infectious
pustule that clearly signals a stim
ulated immune system.
Schlom took a vaccinia ver
sion engineered to be milder
than today’s smallpox vaccine,
which can occasionally cause
deadly side effects. He added to
it a gene that makes an antigen,
or marker, called CEA that’s
found on many colon, pancreat
ic, lung and breast cancer cells.
Because people become immune
to vaccinia quickly, he created
booster shots made with a less
reactive vaccinia relative called
fowlpox. And he added three
immune-boosting molecules to
the mix, calling it Tricorn.
Injecting the altered smallpox
vaccine plus boosters every few
months significantly increased
survival of half the patients in the
first, small experiment at
Georgetown University.
One patient saw her lung
cancer disappear, and others
who were expected to die within
the year instead lived two years
and counting.
Jeannette DuBose Williams of
Alexandra, Va., is one of them.
After three surgeries, radiation
and chemotherapy, she had run
out of options to battle advanced
colon cancer that had spread into
her pelvis. Today, after 2 1/2
years of Tricorn shots, her cancer
is still there — but it hasn’t
grown, and she feels healthy,
spending her days golfing and
visiting grandchildren.
“Cancer may be one thing
you’re not going to cure, but
maybe you can keep it in
check,” says Williams, 72. “I
don’t know what this live virus
is doing inside of me but... I’m
very grateful.”
Small experiments at the
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
and Columbia University also
proved promising. Now Schlom
hopes to begin Phase 3 studies
in another year.
TEXAS AG ELITE
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April 11 & 12
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Car mu’d
^ Pub & Grill
TtX'tAex
T ues days
w/Aaron Holt
This week’s special guest
Jody Booth
$ l 00 Shiner Pints
$ 2 00 Mexican Bottles
3410 S. College Ave., Bryan • 823-1294
This Parents' Weekend...
MSC
Variety Slictf
April 11th 7:30 pm Rudder Auditorium
Tickets $8
Available at MSC Box Office
ON SALE NOW!
Acts:
Apotheosis
Big Man on a Little Bike
Bobby Mayes on the
Hammered Dulcimer
Free Parking
Kyle "Abbot" Carter and
Joey "Costello" Rteney
Ǥ>**ac
MSC,
Philippine Students
Association
Percussion Studio
Showtime Nate Rogers &
the Vagabond Troupe
Tuesday's Anthem
♦ Special Appearance by
Ballet Folklorico
Hosted by
>w
01 AN