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Saturday, August 27, 2011

Australia reports oseltamivir-resistant 2009 H1N1 cluster

From Lisa Schnirring at CIDRAP, excerpt :

" Australian public health officials yesterday reported a cluster of oseltamivir (Tamiflu)-resistant 2009 H1N1 infections, one of the largest to date, centered in one region of New South Wales state.

Between May and August, 25 (14%) of 184 2009 H1N1 cases in the Hunter New England region of New South Wales have shown reduced sensitivity to oseltamivir due to the H275Y mutation, the group said in a report posted on ProMED Mail, the online reporting system of the International Society for Infectious Diseases.

Though smaller clusters of oseltamivir-resistant 2009 H1N1 infections have been detected mainly in healthcare settings where patients were treated with antivirals, none of the 16 patients interviewed so far had been treated with the drug.

Five were hospitalized when specimens were collected, and none had a history of immune suppression, the authors reported. Three of the cases were in pregnant women. None of the patients were admitted to the intensive care unit or died.

Fifteen of the first 16 cases live within a 50-km radius of Newcastle, the regional center."

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