Jordi Casals i Ariet

Last updated

Jordi Casals i Ariet
Born(1911-05-15)15 May 1911
Viladrau, Osona, Spain [1]
Died(2004-02-10)10 February 2004
New York
Other namesJordi Casals-Ariet
Occupation(s) virologist and epidemiologist [1]
Known fordiscovery of Lassa virus
viral taxonomy

Jordi Casals i Ariet (born 15 May 1911, Viladrau, Osona, Spain; died 10 February 2004) was a Catalan physician and epidemiologist. [2] [3] [1]

Contents

Casals' major legacies include his work on viral taxonomy, especially for insect-borne viruses, and significant improvements in safety in the handling of dangerous pathogens in laboratory settings. The latter stem in part from an incident in 1969 at Yale where Casals barely survived the Lassa fever he contracted while studying the virus in the laboratory, and another staff member, Juan Roman, died.

Early life and education

Casals served in the Spanish Army before studying medicine in Barcelona, where he graduated in 1934. He remained as an intern at Hospital Clínic de Barcelona until 1936, when he emigrated to the United States during the Spanish Civil War.[ citation needed ]

Career

After graduating from medical school in Barcelona, Casals moved to New York in 1936, and first worked in the Department of Pathology at Cornell University Medical College in New York. [4] [5] In 1938, he moved to the Rockefeller Institute of Medical Research (now Rockefeller University) in Manhattan. There he began his research on classifying viruses [2] which later became one of his most important legacies. [4]

In 1952, Casals joined the Rockefeller Foundation, where he worked on analysis of samples collected in the field. His collection of viral disease agents gathered during this period was the germ of the future reference collection at the World Health Organization. [2]

In 1964, the Rockefeller Foundation moved its insect-borne disease group to Yale University, and in 1965 Casals therefore moved to New Haven and was appointed professor of epidemiology at Yale University (within the Rockefeller Foundation). [6] In 1969 he became deathly ill while investigating Lassa virus, and barely survived; a technician fell ill several months later and died.[ citation needed ]

Casals went on to investigate the Lassa outbreaks in West Africa. In 1973, biologists in Sierra Leone, with the help of teams from Yale and the CDC, determined that the Lassa virus was being passed to humans from wild rats. Casals also continued his sample collection, collaborating with the CDC to establish what eventually became the World Health Organization's reference collection of arboviruses. [7]

Casals left Yale in 1981 for Mount Sinai School of Medicine. [2] and remained there until his death. His last paper was published in 1998. [5] [2] [1]

Jordi Casals carried out noted studies on multiple diseases, including Lassa fever. He identified Lassa virus and a large number of other pathogens; among them, the Zika virus. [8] Casals was a consultant for numerous health institutions and organizations, and was awarded the Kimble Methodology Award by the American Public Health Association for his scientific curriculum. He was considered a world authority in the field of viruses, especially arboviruses.[ citation needed ]

Casals collaborated with many institutions during his career, such as the WHO, the United States National Institute of Mental Health, and was elected to many U.S. and international societies. He worked with hundreds of scientists worldwide during his career, and was known for his scientific accuracy and professional ethics. [5]

Lassa research and incidents

Discovery

In January 1969, missionary nurse Laura Wine fell ill with a mysterious disease she contracted from an obstetrical patient in the Lassa Mission Hospital where she worked in Lassa, Nigeria a village in Borno State. [9] [10] [11] [12] She was then airlifted to a better-equipped hospital Jos, Nigeria where she died the next day. [9] Subsequently, two other nurses at the Jos hospital became infected, Charlotte Shaw, who died, [9] and fifty-two-year-old nurse Lily Pinneo, commonly known as Penny, [13] who had cared for Wine. [14] Pinneo was flown to New York, along with tissues from other patients and victims, and treated for nine weeks at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, and survived. [9] A specialist in tropical diseases at the Columbia Presbyterian provided samples from Pinneo to the Yale Arbovirus Research Unit. [9] [15]

While at Yale, Casals and his team studied new viruses from Africa, and he identified an unknown virus in the blood of three American nurses who had been missionaries in Nigeria, in the village of Lassa [5] in the Borno State in the northeastern part of the country. The newly isolated virus was named after the village. [5]

Incidents

In June 1969, three months after Lassa fever reached Yale University, Casals fell ill with a fever and cold-like symptoms, with chills and severe muscle pain. On 15 June, he was placed in an isolation unit. [7] He had been tested for Lassa, but the results wouldn't be known for four days, and it was uncertain that he would survive that long. The decision was made for him to be inoculated with antibodies from nurse Lily Pinneo (convalescing at home in Rochester, New York), a decision researchers made according to Robert W. McCollum, chief of epidemiology. [7] Casals recovered, and resumed his research.[ citation needed ]

In December 1969, a technician at the laboratory, Juan Roman, was admitted to a hospital in Pennsylvania where he was visiting his family, with a fever of 105 °F (41 °C) and in acute distress. Antibiotics and other courses of treatment were prescribed, but he died five days later. A blood test confirmed the presence of Lassa virus. Although he worked at the Yale Arbovirus Research Unit where researchers were investigating the Lassa virus, he did not work in the actual facility where the virus was present, and he had no known contact with the virus. After his death, forty-one hospital personnel who had been in contact with him and seven family members were put under intense surveillance for two weeks in Pennsylvania, and in Puerto Rico where he was buried, but all managed to escape the infection. [16]

Casals confirmed that Roman had succumbed to Lassa Fever. This chilling information caused the group investigating the live virus to stop their investigation, and all samples were sent to a maximum security laboratory at the Center for Disease Control (CDC). [7]

Biosafety

Although Casals and his coworkers recognized the dangerous nature of Lassa virus, and had implemented special safety protocols, Casals contracted Lassa fever in June 1969 nevertheless, and nearly died from it. A few months later, technician Juan Roman became ill and died, even though he never worked directly in the laboratory or dealt with the virus. It was never determined how the two of them contracted the virus, although one theory was dust kicked up by lab mice. The chilling effect of this caused the laboratory to halt work on the virus, and transfer the samples to the CDC maximum-security lab. [4]

According to Dr. Gregory Tignor, a retired Yale professor who worked with Dr. Casals, "It took great courage to work with viruses in those days because every worker knew that his or her life was in danger." [2] The events at the Yale laboratory had a major impact in the handling of dangerous viruses. Yale biological safety officer Ben Fontes gave credit to the "extremely careful" protocols Casals had designed for preventing a more serious outbreak, and said that "The incident forced changes to biosafety nationally, and was one of the seminal events in [bringing about modern] biosafety. [4] Following the incidents at the Yale lab and other labs nationally, a classification system was developed to label the danger level of handling different viruses or other biological agents. As a result, pathogens like Lassa and unidentified new ones were sent to the most secure facilities. [4]

Viral taxonomy

Casals helped identify and classify a thousand viruses. [5] Lassa is one of many he discovered. He is considered an authority on viral taxonomy because of his landmark classification of pathogenic viruses, especially mosquito- and other insect-borne viruses, [2] among which is the Zika virus. [8] He also was the first to establish the fact that some viruses that cause infections in the same organ, such as polio, encephalitis, or rabies viruses [4] in the central nervous system, [17] are not from the same family but belong to different families. [4]

Awards

Personal life

Casals had polio as a child, and as a result walked with a limp in adulthood. [2]

He was married to Ellen Casals. [2]

See also

Sources

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lassa fever</span> Viral disease spread by a type of mouse

Lassa fever, also known as Lassa hemorrhagic fever, is a type of viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the Lassa virus. Many of those infected by the virus do not develop symptoms. When symptoms occur they typically include fever, weakness, headaches, vomiting, and muscle pains. Less commonly there may be bleeding from the mouth or gastrointestinal tract. The risk of death once infected is about one percent and frequently occurs within two weeks of the onset of symptoms. Of those who survive, about a quarter have hearing loss, which improves within three months in about half of these cases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biosafety level</span> Set of biocontainment precautions

A biosafety level (BSL), or pathogen/protection level, is a set of biocontainment precautions required to isolate dangerous biological agents in an enclosed laboratory facility. The levels of containment range from the lowest biosafety level 1 (BSL-1) to the highest at level 4 (BSL-4). In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have specified these levels in a publication referred to as BMBL. In the European Union, the same biosafety levels are defined in a directive. In Canada the four levels are known as Containment Levels. Facilities with these designations are also sometimes given as P1 through P4, as in the term P3 laboratory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biological hazard</span> Biological material that poses serious risks to the health of living organisms

A biological hazard, or biohazard, is a biological substance that poses a threat to the health of living organisms, primarily humans. This could include a sample of a microorganism, virus or toxin that can adversely affect human health. A biohazard could also be a substance harmful to other living beings.

<i>Lassa mammarenavirus</i> Type of viral hemorrhagic fever

Lassa mammarenavirus (LASV) is an arenavirus that causes Lassa hemorrhagic fever, a type of viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF), in humans and other primates. Lassa mammarenavirus is an emerging virus and a select agent, requiring Biosafety Level 4-equivalent containment. It is endemic in West African countries, especially Sierra Leone, the Republic of Guinea, Nigeria, and Liberia, where the annual incidence of infection is between 300,000 and 500,000 cases, resulting in 5,000 deaths per year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Theiler</span> South African-American virologist and physician

Max Theiler was a South African-American virologist and physician. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1951 for developing a vaccine against yellow fever in 1937, becoming the first African-born Nobel laureate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viral hemorrhagic fever</span> Type of illnesses

Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) are a diverse group of animal and human illnesses. VHFs may be caused by five distinct families of RNA viruses: the families Filoviridae, Flaviviridae, Rhabdoviridae, and several member families of the Bunyavirales order such as Arenaviridae, and Hantaviridae. All types of VHF are characterized by fever and bleeding disorders and all can progress to high fever, shock and death in many cases. Some of the VHF agents cause relatively mild illnesses, such as the Scandinavian nephropathia epidemica, while others, such as Ebola virus, can cause severe, life-threatening disease.

Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever (VHF) is a zoonotic human illness first identified in 1989. The disease is most prevalent in several rural areas of central Venezuela and is caused by Guanarito mammarenavirus (GTOV) which belongs to the Arenaviridae family. The short-tailed cane mouse is the main host for GTOV which is spread mostly by inhalation of aerosolized droplets of saliva, respiratory secretions, urine, or blood from infected rodents. Person-to-person spread is possible, but uncommon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilbur Downs</span>

Wilbur George Downs, was a naturalist, virologist and clinical professor of epidemiology and public health at the Yale School of Medicine and the Yale School of Public Health.

ECWA Evangel Hospital is a 150-bed general hospital located in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. It was founded in 1959 by SIM, but Evangel is now managed under the auspices of the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA). Evangel is known locally in Jos as "Jankwano" meaning "Red Roof" in Hausa, as it was one of the first buildings in the area to have a corrugated iron roof.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zika fever</span> Infectious disease caused by the Zika virus

Zika fever, also known as Zika virus disease or simply Zika, is an infectious disease caused by the Zika virus. Most cases have no symptoms, but when present they are usually mild and can resemble dengue fever. Symptoms may include fever, red eyes, joint pain, headache, and a maculopapular rash. Symptoms generally last less than seven days. It has not caused any reported deaths during the initial infection. Mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy can cause microcephaly and other brain malformations in some babies. Infections in adults have been linked to Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS).

Clarence James Peters, Jr is a physician, field virologist and former U.S. Army colonel. He is noted for his efforts in trying to stem epidemics of exotic infectious diseases such as the Ebola virus, Hanta virus and Rift Valley fever (RVF). He is an eminent authority on the virology, pathogenesis and epidemiology of hemorrhagic fever viruses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow fever vaccine</span> Vaccine that protects against yellow fever

Yellow fever vaccine is a vaccine that protects against yellow fever. Yellow fever is a viral infection that occurs in Africa and South America. Most people begin to develop immunity within ten days of vaccination and 99% are protected within one month, and this appears to be lifelong. The vaccine can be used to control outbreaks of disease. It is given either by injection into a muscle or just under the skin.

Lujo is a bisegmented RNA virus—a member of the family Arenaviridae—and a known cause of viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) in humans. Its name was suggested by the Special Pathogens Unit of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service (NICD-NHLS) by using the first two letters of the names of the cities involved in the 2008 outbreak of the disease, Lusaka (Zambia) and Johannesburg. It is the second pathogenic Arenavirus to be described from the African continent—the first being Lassa virus—and since 2012 has been classed as a "Select Agent" under U.S. law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aniru Conteh</span> Sierra Leonean physician (1942–2004)

Aniru Sahib Sahib Conteh was a Sierra Leonean physician and expert on the clinical treatment of Lassa fever, a viral hemorrhagic fever endemic to West Africa caused by the Lassa virus. Conteh studied medicine at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria and taught at Ibadan Teaching Hospital. He later returned to Sierra Leone where he joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Lassa fever program at Nixon Methodist Hospital in Segbwema, first as superintendent and then as clinical director.

<i>Zika virus</i> Species of flavivirus

Zika virus is a member of the virus family Flaviviridae. It is spread by daytime-active Aedes mosquitoes, such as A. aegypti and A. albopictus. Its name comes from the Ziika Forest of Uganda, where the virus was first isolated in 1947. Zika virus shares a genus with the dengue, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile viruses. Since the 1950s, it has been known to occur within a narrow equatorial belt from Africa to Asia. From 2007 to 2016, the virus spread eastward, across the Pacific Ocean to the Americas, leading to the 2015–2016 Zika virus epidemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ebola virus disease in Mali</span>

Ebola virus disease in Mali occurred in October 2014, leading to concern about the possibility of an outbreak of Ebola in Mali. A child was brought from Guinea and died in the northwestern city of Kayes. Mali contact traced over 100 people who had contact with the child; tracing was completed in mid-November with no further cases discovered. In November, a second unrelated outbreak occurred in Mali's capital city, Bamako. Several people at a clinic are thought to have been infected by a man traveling from Guinea. On January 18, Mali was declared Ebola-free after 42 days with no new cases. There had been a cumulative total of eight cases with six deaths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Shope</span> American virologist and epidemiologist

Robert Ellis Shope was an American virologist, epidemiologist and public health expert, particularly known for his work on arthropod-borne viruses and emerging infectious diseases. He discovered more novel viruses than any person previously, including members of the Arenavirus, Hantavirus, Lyssavirus and Orbivirus genera of RNA viruses. He researched significant human diseases, including dengue, Lassa fever, Rift Valley fever, yellow fever, viral hemorrhagic fevers and Lyme disease. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of viruses, and curated a global reference collection of over 5,000 viral strains. He was the lead author of a groundbreaking report on the threat posed by emerging infectious diseases, and also advised on climate change and bioterrorism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John P. Woodall</span> American entomologist

John Payne Woodall (1935–2016), known as Jack Woodall, was an American-British entomologist and virologist who made significant contributions to the study of arboviruses in South America, the Caribbean and Africa. He did research on the causative agents of dengue fever, Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever, o'nyong'nyong fever, yellow fever, Zika fever, and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonja Buckley</span> American virologist

Sonja Buckley was a Swiss-born virologist. She was the first person to culture Lassa virus, the causative agent of Lassa fever, a potentially deadly disease that originated in Africa.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lenzer 2004.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Altman 2004.
  3. ↑ GEC, Jordi Casals i Ariet.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Powell 2004.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Prono 2008, p. 354.
  6. ↑ Metges-Catalans 2015, Jordi Casals i Ariet.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Peart 2004.
  8. 1 2 Zika 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 CoB.
  10. ↑ Donaldson 2009.
  11. ↑ CDC 2019.
  12. ↑ Frame 1970, p. 670–676.
  13. ↑ Daniel G. Bausch (2 October 2012). "ASTMH Remembers Penny Pinneo, a Pioneer in Combating Lassa Fever (1917–2012)". American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  14. ↑ Frame 1992, p. 199–202.
  15. ↑ Casals 1970, p. 174.
  16. ↑ MMWR 1970, p. 123.
  17. ↑ Swanson 2015, fig. 2.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.