tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Eurosurveillance, Volume 21, Issue 41, 13 October 2016
Surveillance and outbreak report
Improving influenza virological surveillance in Europe: strain-based reporting of antigenic and genetic characterisation data, 11 European countries, influenza season 2013/14
E Broberg [SUP]1[/SUP] , O Hungnes [SUP]2[/SUP] , B Schweiger [SUP]3[/SUP] , K Prosenc [SUP]4[/SUP] , R Daniels [SUP]5[/SUP] , R Guiomar [SUP]6[/SUP] , N Ikonen [SUP]7[/SUP] , A Kossyvakis [SUP]8[/SUP] , F Pozo [SUP]9[/SUP] , S Puzelli [SUP]10[/SUP] , I Thomas [SUP]11[/SUP] , A Waters [SUP]12[/SUP] , ? Wiman [SUP]13[/SUP] , A Meijer [SUP]14[/SUP]
+ Author affiliations
1. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Stockholm, Sweden
2. Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
3. National Influenza Reference Centre, Robert Koch-Institute, Berlin, Germany
4. Laboratory for Public Health Virology, National Laboratory for Health, Environment and Food Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia
5. Crick Worldwide Influenza Centre, The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, London, United Kingdom
6. National Influenza Reference Laboratory, National Institute of Health Dr Ricardo Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
7. Viral Infections Unit, National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Helsinki, Finland
8. National Influenza Reference Laboratory of Southern Greece, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens, Greece
9. Respiratory Viruses and Influenza Unit, National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
10. National Influenza Centre, Instituto Superiore di Sanit?, Rome, Italy
11. National Influenza Reference Centre, Scientific Institute of Public Health, Brussels, Belgium
12. National Virus Reference Laboratory, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
13. Public Health Agency of Sweden, Solna, Sweden
14. National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands
Correspondence: Eeva Broberg (eeva.broberg@ecdc.europa.eu)
Citation style for this article: Broberg E, Hungnes O, Schweiger B, Prosenc K, Daniels R, Guiomar R, Ikonen N, Kossyvakis A, Pozo F, Puzelli S, Thomas I, Waters A, Wiman ?, Meijer A. Improving influenza virological surveillance in Europe: strain-based reporting of antigenic and genetic characterisation data, 11 European countries, influenza season 2013/14. Euro Surveill. 2016;21(41)
ii=30370. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2016.21.41.30370
Received:25 February 2016; Accepted:25 April 2016
[h=4][/h]
Influenza antigenic and genetic characterisation data are crucial for influenza vaccine composition decision making. Previously, aggregate data were reported to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control by European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries. A system for collecting case-specific influenza antigenic and genetic characterisation data was established for the 2013/14 influenza season. In a pilot study, 11 EU/EEA countries reported through the new mechanism. We demonstrated feasibility of reporting strain-based antigenic and genetic data and ca 10% of influenza virus-positive specimens were selected for further characterisation. Proportions of characterised virus (sub)types were similar to influenza virus circulation levels. The main genetic clades were represented by A/StPetersburg/27/2011(H1N1)pdm09 and A/Texas/50/2012(H3N2). A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses were more prevalent in age groups (by years) < 1 (65%; p = 0.0111), 20?39 (50%; p = 0.0046) and 40?64 (55%; p = 0.00001) while A(H3N2) viruses were most prevalent in those ≥ 65 years (34%; p = 0.0012). Hospitalised patients in the age groups 6?19 years (67%; p = 0.0494) and ≥ 65 years (52%; p = 0.0005) were more frequently infected by A/Texas/50/2012 A(H3N2)-like viruses compared with hospitalised cases in other age groups. Strain-based reporting enabled deeper understanding of influenza virus circulation among hospitalised patients and substantially improved the reporting of virus characterisation data. Therefore, strain-based reporting of readily available data is recommended to all reporting countries within the EU/EEA.
http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=22612
Surveillance and outbreak report
Improving influenza virological surveillance in Europe: strain-based reporting of antigenic and genetic characterisation data, 11 European countries, influenza season 2013/14
E Broberg [SUP]1[/SUP] , O Hungnes [SUP]2[/SUP] , B Schweiger [SUP]3[/SUP] , K Prosenc [SUP]4[/SUP] , R Daniels [SUP]5[/SUP] , R Guiomar [SUP]6[/SUP] , N Ikonen [SUP]7[/SUP] , A Kossyvakis [SUP]8[/SUP] , F Pozo [SUP]9[/SUP] , S Puzelli [SUP]10[/SUP] , I Thomas [SUP]11[/SUP] , A Waters [SUP]12[/SUP] , ? Wiman [SUP]13[/SUP] , A Meijer [SUP]14[/SUP]
+ Author affiliations
1. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Stockholm, Sweden
2. Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
3. National Influenza Reference Centre, Robert Koch-Institute, Berlin, Germany
4. Laboratory for Public Health Virology, National Laboratory for Health, Environment and Food Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia
5. Crick Worldwide Influenza Centre, The Francis Crick Institute, Mill Hill Laboratory, London, United Kingdom
6. National Influenza Reference Laboratory, National Institute of Health Dr Ricardo Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
7. Viral Infections Unit, National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Helsinki, Finland
8. National Influenza Reference Laboratory of Southern Greece, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens, Greece
9. Respiratory Viruses and Influenza Unit, National Center of Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
10. National Influenza Centre, Instituto Superiore di Sanit?, Rome, Italy
11. National Influenza Reference Centre, Scientific Institute of Public Health, Brussels, Belgium
12. National Virus Reference Laboratory, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
13. Public Health Agency of Sweden, Solna, Sweden
14. National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands
Correspondence: Eeva Broberg (eeva.broberg@ecdc.europa.eu)
Citation style for this article: Broberg E, Hungnes O, Schweiger B, Prosenc K, Daniels R, Guiomar R, Ikonen N, Kossyvakis A, Pozo F, Puzelli S, Thomas I, Waters A, Wiman ?, Meijer A. Improving influenza virological surveillance in Europe: strain-based reporting of antigenic and genetic characterisation data, 11 European countries, influenza season 2013/14. Euro Surveill. 2016;21(41)
ii=30370. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2016.21.41.30370Received:25 February 2016; Accepted:25 April 2016
[h=4][/h]
Influenza antigenic and genetic characterisation data are crucial for influenza vaccine composition decision making. Previously, aggregate data were reported to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control by European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries. A system for collecting case-specific influenza antigenic and genetic characterisation data was established for the 2013/14 influenza season. In a pilot study, 11 EU/EEA countries reported through the new mechanism. We demonstrated feasibility of reporting strain-based antigenic and genetic data and ca 10% of influenza virus-positive specimens were selected for further characterisation. Proportions of characterised virus (sub)types were similar to influenza virus circulation levels. The main genetic clades were represented by A/StPetersburg/27/2011(H1N1)pdm09 and A/Texas/50/2012(H3N2). A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses were more prevalent in age groups (by years) < 1 (65%; p = 0.0111), 20?39 (50%; p = 0.0046) and 40?64 (55%; p = 0.00001) while A(H3N2) viruses were most prevalent in those ≥ 65 years (34%; p = 0.0012). Hospitalised patients in the age groups 6?19 years (67%; p = 0.0494) and ≥ 65 years (52%; p = 0.0005) were more frequently infected by A/Texas/50/2012 A(H3N2)-like viruses compared with hospitalised cases in other age groups. Strain-based reporting enabled deeper understanding of influenza virus circulation among hospitalised patients and substantially improved the reporting of virus characterisation data. Therefore, strain-based reporting of readily available data is recommended to all reporting countries within the EU/EEA.
http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=22612