handle with care
There's a video doing the rounds at present in which a medically qualified nun quite soberly talks about apparent safety concerns with the swine flu vaccine. Personally I was extremely suspicious, and when I saw that whale.to, an online repository of really out-there conspiracy theories and bullshit are enthusiastic about it my suspicion deepened.
I haven't yet had much chance to do any proper research, and I'm not in any case sufficiently qualified, but I've found sources that seem to address a couple of the points made. The main concern in the video appears to be squalene, described by Wikipedia as an 'immunologic adjuvant', that is 'an agent that may stimulate the immune system and increase the response to a vaccine, without having any specific antigenic effect in itself.'
The Wikipedia entry provides information and references, including the following (in case the entry's changed):
Health controversy
There have been attempts to link squalene to Gulf War Syndrome mainly due to squalene supposedly being present in an Anthrax vaccine given to some military personal during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. One study found that deployed Persian Gulf War Syndrome patients are significantly more likely to have antibodies to squalene (95 percent) than asymptomatic Gulf War veterans (0 percent; p<.001),[9]; however, the study concludes with the following statement: "It is important to note that our laboratory-based investigations do not establish that squalene was added as adjuvant to any vaccine used in military or other personnel who served in the Persian Gulf War era." A later study reported that many humans have squalene antibodies in their blood, regardless of whether or not they received squalene from a vaccination.[10]
However, subsequent investigation revealed that the study in question, which attempted to link squalene to Gulf War Syndrome, had several technical deficiencies in the way in which it analyzed its data. On top of this, it has been determined that the anthrax vaccines given to those US military personnel, did not use squalene as an adjuvant.[7]
Oil-water suspensions, including MF59, were associated with the ability to induce lupus autoantibodies in non-autoimmune mice [11]. In one study, endogenous squalene was linked to autoimmune arthritis in rats.[12]An epidemiologic analysis of safety data on MF59 seasonal and pandemic influenza vaccines showed no evidence of increased risk of vaccine adverse events of potential autoimmune origin.[13]
The World Health Organization and the US Department of Defense have both published extensive reports that emphasize that squalene is a chemical naturally occurring in the human body, present even in oils of human fingerprints.[14][7]
WHO goes further to explain that squalene has been present in over 22 million flu vaccines given to patients in Europe since 1997 and there have never been significant vaccine-related adverse events.[7]
The US DoD concluded that there are still many doubts to whether or not squalene containing vaccines are safe at all[citation needed]. Some animal research to study arthritis used injections of tuberculosis-like bacteria (mycobacteria) dissolved in squalene (e.g., arthritis-prone rats, mice)[citation needed]. Based on other research, it is clear that whether squalene causes harm or not is related to selected conditions of concentration, dose, route of application, and other factors[15][16].
References
1 ^ http://www.rpi.edu/dept/bcbp/molbiochem/MBWeb/mb2/part1/cholesterol.htm#prenyl
2 ^ K. Bloch:"Sterol structure and membrane function",CRC Crit. Rev.,14:47-92.
3 ^ EWG: Unilever takes a bite out of your face cream
4 ^ "Final report on the safety assessment of squalane and squalene". Journal of the American College of Toxicology 1 (2): 37–56. 1982. doi:10.3109/10915818209013146. http://ijt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/1/2/37.
5 ^ a b Andrew Pollack. Benefit and Doubt in Vaccine Additive, The New York Times, September 21, 2009.
6 ^ MF59® Adjuvant Fact Sheet, Novartis, June 2009.
7 ^ a b c d Squalene-based adjuvants in vaccines, Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety, World Health Organization
8 ^ Rob Stein. Swine Flu Campaign Waits on Vaccine. The Washington Post, August 23, 2009.
9 ^ Asa, P. B., Cao, Y. & Garry, R. F. (2000): Antibodies to squalene in Gulf War Syndrome. In: Experimental and Molecular Pathology. 68, 55-64.
10 ^ http://www.anthrax.osd.mil/resource/qna/qaAll.asp?cID=319
11 ^ M. Satoh et.al.: Induction of lupus autoantibodies by adjuvants. J Autoimmun. 2003 Aug;21(1):1-9. [1]
12 ^ Barbro C. Carlson, Åsa M. Jansson, Anders Larsson, Anders Bucht and Johnny C. Lorentzen: The Endogenous Adjuvant Squalene Can Induce a Chronic T-Cell-Mediated Arthritis in Rats. In: American Journal of Pathology. 2000;156:2057-2065.
13 ^ Pellegrini et al, 2009 http://preview.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19751689
14 ^ Asano KG, Bayne CK, Horsman KM, Buchanan MV (2002). "Chemical composition of fingerprints for gender determination". Journal of Forensic Science 47: 805–807.
15 ^ Benisek et al, 2004
16 ^ http://www.anthrax.osd.mil/resource/qna/qaAll.asp?cID=319#1107
On the Disinfo page where I saw the video one poster called id_doc left the following comments (in full):
I encountered some problems with the presentation, and didn't finish it. First, the 1977 H1N1 virus was not the one recovered from an Eskimo and re-synthesized in a lab. (That technology did not exist until the 1990's and that experiment was done in 1999. Here's the abstract:
"The “Spanish” influenza pandemic killed over 20 million people in 1918 and 1919, making it the worst infectious pandemic in history. Here, we report the complete sequence of the hemagglutinin (HA) gene of the 1918 virus. Influenza RNA for the analysis was isolated from a formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded lung tissue sample prepared during the autopsy of a victim of the influenza pandemic in 1918. Influenza RNA was also isolated from lung tissue samples from two additional victims of the lethal 1918 influenza: one formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sample and one frozen sample obtained by in situ biopsy of the lung of a victim buried in permafrost since 1918. The complete coding sequence of the A/South Carolina/1/18 HA gene was obtained. The HA1 domain sequence was confirmed by using the two additional isolates (A/New York/1/18 and A/Brevig Mission/1/18). The sequences show little variation. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that the 1918 virus HA gene, although more closely related to avian strains than any other mammalian sequence, is mammalian and may have been adapting in humans before 1918." PNAS February 16, 1999 vol. 96 no. 4 1651-1656
Second, the 1977 virus was actually a 1950 strain, not the 1918 strain, which may have escaped from a lab somewhere. Third, the NEJM article says "probably an accidental release", not "established fact, as Sister Teresa says. Here is the misquoted passage from the actual NEJM article:
" Even though human influenza A (H1N1) virus had not circulated since 1957 and the swine influenza A (H1N1) virus that had been identified at Fort Dix did not extend outside the base, in November 1977, the H1N1 strain reemerged in the former Soviet Union, Hong Kong, and northeastern China. This strain affected primarily young people in a relatively mild presentation.18,30 Careful study of the genetic origin of the virus showed that it was closely related to a 1950 strain but dissimilar to influenza A (H1N1) strains from both 1947 and 1957. This finding suggested that the 1977 outbreak strain had been preserved since 1950.30 The reemergence was probably an accidental release from a laboratory source in the setting of waning population immunity to H1 and N1 antigens.19,31"
After this much error I quit listening. This is a classic case of an activist who is ending up putting her zealotry before the facts. I looked up Sister Teresa, who has written a book on the crimes and abuses of the pharmaceutical industry. I am no fan of that industry, and I do not give any of my time to their salesmen. (I am one of only 15% of doctors who decline to meet with drug reps.) However I think her failure to respect the facts taints whatever conspiracy theory she has come up with.
At present I haven't found a science blogger whose taken apart the claims of this particular video, but I'll keep you posted if I do.
I haven't yet had much chance to do any proper research, and I'm not in any case sufficiently qualified, but I've found sources that seem to address a couple of the points made. The main concern in the video appears to be squalene, described by Wikipedia as an 'immunologic adjuvant', that is 'an agent that may stimulate the immune system and increase the response to a vaccine, without having any specific antigenic effect in itself.'
The Wikipedia entry provides information and references, including the following (in case the entry's changed):
Health controversy
There have been attempts to link squalene to Gulf War Syndrome mainly due to squalene supposedly being present in an Anthrax vaccine given to some military personal during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. One study found that deployed Persian Gulf War Syndrome patients are significantly more likely to have antibodies to squalene (95 percent) than asymptomatic Gulf War veterans (0 percent; p<.001),[9]; however, the study concludes with the following statement: "It is important to note that our laboratory-based investigations do not establish that squalene was added as adjuvant to any vaccine used in military or other personnel who served in the Persian Gulf War era." A later study reported that many humans have squalene antibodies in their blood, regardless of whether or not they received squalene from a vaccination.[10]
However, subsequent investigation revealed that the study in question, which attempted to link squalene to Gulf War Syndrome, had several technical deficiencies in the way in which it analyzed its data. On top of this, it has been determined that the anthrax vaccines given to those US military personnel, did not use squalene as an adjuvant.[7]
Oil-water suspensions, including MF59, were associated with the ability to induce lupus autoantibodies in non-autoimmune mice [11]. In one study, endogenous squalene was linked to autoimmune arthritis in rats.[12]An epidemiologic analysis of safety data on MF59 seasonal and pandemic influenza vaccines showed no evidence of increased risk of vaccine adverse events of potential autoimmune origin.[13]
The World Health Organization and the US Department of Defense have both published extensive reports that emphasize that squalene is a chemical naturally occurring in the human body, present even in oils of human fingerprints.[14][7]
WHO goes further to explain that squalene has been present in over 22 million flu vaccines given to patients in Europe since 1997 and there have never been significant vaccine-related adverse events.[7]
The US DoD concluded that there are still many doubts to whether or not squalene containing vaccines are safe at all[citation needed]. Some animal research to study arthritis used injections of tuberculosis-like bacteria (mycobacteria) dissolved in squalene (e.g., arthritis-prone rats, mice)[citation needed]. Based on other research, it is clear that whether squalene causes harm or not is related to selected conditions of concentration, dose, route of application, and other factors[15][16].
References
1 ^ http://www.rpi.edu/dept/bcbp/molbiochem/MBWeb/mb2/part1/cholesterol.htm#prenyl
2 ^ K. Bloch:"Sterol structure and membrane function",CRC Crit. Rev.,14:47-92.
3 ^ EWG: Unilever takes a bite out of your face cream
4 ^ "Final report on the safety assessment of squalane and squalene". Journal of the American College of Toxicology 1 (2): 37–56. 1982. doi:10.3109/10915818209013146. http://ijt.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/1/2/37.
5 ^ a b Andrew Pollack. Benefit and Doubt in Vaccine Additive, The New York Times, September 21, 2009.
6 ^ MF59® Adjuvant Fact Sheet, Novartis, June 2009.
7 ^ a b c d Squalene-based adjuvants in vaccines, Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety, World Health Organization
8 ^ Rob Stein. Swine Flu Campaign Waits on Vaccine. The Washington Post, August 23, 2009.
9 ^ Asa, P. B., Cao, Y. & Garry, R. F. (2000): Antibodies to squalene in Gulf War Syndrome. In: Experimental and Molecular Pathology. 68, 55-64.
10 ^ http://www.anthrax.osd.mil/resource/qna/qaAll.asp?cID=319
11 ^ M. Satoh et.al.: Induction of lupus autoantibodies by adjuvants. J Autoimmun. 2003 Aug;21(1):1-9. [1]
12 ^ Barbro C. Carlson, Åsa M. Jansson, Anders Larsson, Anders Bucht and Johnny C. Lorentzen: The Endogenous Adjuvant Squalene Can Induce a Chronic T-Cell-Mediated Arthritis in Rats. In: American Journal of Pathology. 2000;156:2057-2065.
13 ^ Pellegrini et al, 2009 http://preview.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19751689
14 ^ Asano KG, Bayne CK, Horsman KM, Buchanan MV (2002). "Chemical composition of fingerprints for gender determination". Journal of Forensic Science 47: 805–807.
15 ^ Benisek et al, 2004
16 ^ http://www.anthrax.osd.mil/resource/qna/qaAll.asp?cID=319#1107
On the Disinfo page where I saw the video one poster called id_doc left the following comments (in full):
I encountered some problems with the presentation, and didn't finish it. First, the 1977 H1N1 virus was not the one recovered from an Eskimo and re-synthesized in a lab. (That technology did not exist until the 1990's and that experiment was done in 1999. Here's the abstract:
"The “Spanish” influenza pandemic killed over 20 million people in 1918 and 1919, making it the worst infectious pandemic in history. Here, we report the complete sequence of the hemagglutinin (HA) gene of the 1918 virus. Influenza RNA for the analysis was isolated from a formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded lung tissue sample prepared during the autopsy of a victim of the influenza pandemic in 1918. Influenza RNA was also isolated from lung tissue samples from two additional victims of the lethal 1918 influenza: one formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sample and one frozen sample obtained by in situ biopsy of the lung of a victim buried in permafrost since 1918. The complete coding sequence of the A/South Carolina/1/18 HA gene was obtained. The HA1 domain sequence was confirmed by using the two additional isolates (A/New York/1/18 and A/Brevig Mission/1/18). The sequences show little variation. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that the 1918 virus HA gene, although more closely related to avian strains than any other mammalian sequence, is mammalian and may have been adapting in humans before 1918." PNAS February 16, 1999 vol. 96 no. 4 1651-1656
Second, the 1977 virus was actually a 1950 strain, not the 1918 strain, which may have escaped from a lab somewhere. Third, the NEJM article says "probably an accidental release", not "established fact, as Sister Teresa says. Here is the misquoted passage from the actual NEJM article:
" Even though human influenza A (H1N1) virus had not circulated since 1957 and the swine influenza A (H1N1) virus that had been identified at Fort Dix did not extend outside the base, in November 1977, the H1N1 strain reemerged in the former Soviet Union, Hong Kong, and northeastern China. This strain affected primarily young people in a relatively mild presentation.18,30 Careful study of the genetic origin of the virus showed that it was closely related to a 1950 strain but dissimilar to influenza A (H1N1) strains from both 1947 and 1957. This finding suggested that the 1977 outbreak strain had been preserved since 1950.30 The reemergence was probably an accidental release from a laboratory source in the setting of waning population immunity to H1 and N1 antigens.19,31"
After this much error I quit listening. This is a classic case of an activist who is ending up putting her zealotry before the facts. I looked up Sister Teresa, who has written a book on the crimes and abuses of the pharmaceutical industry. I am no fan of that industry, and I do not give any of my time to their salesmen. (I am one of only 15% of doctors who decline to meet with drug reps.) However I think her failure to respect the facts taints whatever conspiracy theory she has come up with.
At present I haven't found a science blogger whose taken apart the claims of this particular video, but I'll keep you posted if I do.
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