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Institution
Established in 1958, Beijing Institute of Microbiology
and Epidemiology is an integrated institution mainly engaged in
researches on prevention and control of infectious diseases. The
Institute consists of the following departments: Bacteriology, Virology,
Immunology, Molecular Biology, Epidemiology, Disinfection &
Sterilization, Vector Biology and Control, Pharmacology. Within
the institute, there are the National Centre of Analytical Microbiology,
the National Centre for Confirmation of HIV Infection, the National
Centre for Testing of Disinfection and Sterilization, the Army Center
for Disease Surveillance, and the Army Centre for Microbe Detection
and Research. The institute has made outstanding achievements in
rapid microbiological inspection and diagnosis, etiology and epidemiology
of infectious diseases, emerging infectious control, mucous membrane
immunity, vector biology as well as the development of antimalarial
and bio-engineered drugs. More than 200 scientific and technological
achievement prizes have been awarded by the State. There are about
300 fulltime staff and more than 150 doctoral and master students
in the institute. With full enthusiasm and innovative efforts, they
are striving to develop a modernized and worldleading institute.
Participants
The institute first isolated SARS corona-virus
(4 strains) in China from various clinical specimens of patients
with SARS. The entire genome of the 4 viral strains was sequenced
in cooperation with the Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy
of Science. Then extensive studies on etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis,
physical protection, and vaccine development have been conducted
by the institute. Dr. Wuchun Cao is the assistant director of the
institute and the head of the Department of Epidemiology. He was
trained as a medical doctor in China, and got his doctoral degree
in epidemiology at Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam,
the Netherlands. He is working in the field of infectious and tropical
diseases, especially in emerging infectious diseases. Since the
outbreak of SARS in China mainland in February, 2002, Dr. Cao has
been engaged in epidemiology and control of the disease.
Roles in the project
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Expertise on SARS natural history in humans
(leader of WP7),
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Actively participates and contributes to
WP8, WP10 and WP13.
Publications
5 recent publications:
1. Fang Tang,Xiaoming Wu,Wuchun Cao et al. Epidemiological investigation
into an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in a hospital.
China Trop. Med. 2003;3(5):565-567
2. Hailong Sun,Dan Feng,Wuchun Cao et al. The epidemiological
characteristics of 198 patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome
(SARS). China Trop. Med. 2003;3(5):559-561
3. Dan Feng, Chengyi Li, Wuchun Cao et al. Analysis
of 192 cases with severe acute respiratory syndrome.
China Trop. Med. 2003;3(5):562-56
4. Liqun Fang, Panhe Zhang, Wuchun Cao, et al.
Application of indirect immunofluorescent antibody assay in the
diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome. Chin J Epidemiol.
2003;24(6):484-486
5. Wu-Chun Cao, Qiu-Min Zhao, Pan-He Zhang, Hong
Yang, Xiao-Ming Wu,Bo-Hai Wen, Xi-Tan Zhang, J.
Dik F. Habbema. Prevalence of Anaplasma phagocytophila and Borrelia
burgdorferi in Ixodes persulcatus Ticks from Northeastern China.
Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 2003;68(5):547-550
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