Emily
Editor, Senior Moderator
High genetic and antigenic similarity between a swine H3N2 influenza A virus and a prior human influenza vaccine virus: A possible immune pressure-driven cross-species transmission
Chungen Pana, Guiping Wangb, Ming Liaoc, Gui-Hong Zhangc and Shibo Jianga
Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, The New York Blood Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
College of Veterinary Medicine, Southern China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Received 4 May 2009.
Available online 20 May 2009.
Abstract
In late April of 2009, a global outbreak of human influenza was reported. The causative agent is a highly unusual reassortant H1N1 influenza virus carrying genetic segments derived from swine, human and avian influenza viruses. In this study, we compared the HA, NA and other gene segments of a swine H3N2 influenza A virus, A/Swine/Guangdong/z5/2003, which was isolated from pigs in 2003 in Guangdong Province, China, to the predominant human and swine H3N2 viruses. We found that the similarity of gene segments of A/Swine/Guangdong/z5/2003 was closer to Moscow/99-like human H3N2 virus than Europe swine H3N2 viruses during 1999–2002. These results suggest that A/Swine/Guangdong/z5/2003 may be porcine in origin, possibly being driven by human immune pressure induced by either natural H3N2 virus infection or use of A/Moscow/10/99 (H3N2)-based human influenza vaccine. The results further confirm that swine may play a dual role as a “shelter” for hosting influenza virus from humans or birds and as a “mixing vessel” for generating reassortant influenza viruses, such as the one causing current influenza pandemic.
Keywords: Influenza; Influenza A virus; H3N2; H1N1; Genetic similarity; Antigen drift; Immune pressure; Cross-species transmission
Correspondence of vaccine composition and most prevalent viral strains in each year; proportion of vaccinated among the elderly. São Paulo, Brazil, 1998–2002
Chungen Pana, Guiping Wangb, Ming Liaoc, Gui-Hong Zhangc and Shibo Jianga
Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, The New York Blood Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
College of Veterinary Medicine, Southern China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Received 4 May 2009.
Available online 20 May 2009.
Abstract
In late April of 2009, a global outbreak of human influenza was reported. The causative agent is a highly unusual reassortant H1N1 influenza virus carrying genetic segments derived from swine, human and avian influenza viruses. In this study, we compared the HA, NA and other gene segments of a swine H3N2 influenza A virus, A/Swine/Guangdong/z5/2003, which was isolated from pigs in 2003 in Guangdong Province, China, to the predominant human and swine H3N2 viruses. We found that the similarity of gene segments of A/Swine/Guangdong/z5/2003 was closer to Moscow/99-like human H3N2 virus than Europe swine H3N2 viruses during 1999–2002. These results suggest that A/Swine/Guangdong/z5/2003 may be porcine in origin, possibly being driven by human immune pressure induced by either natural H3N2 virus infection or use of A/Moscow/10/99 (H3N2)-based human influenza vaccine. The results further confirm that swine may play a dual role as a “shelter” for hosting influenza virus from humans or birds and as a “mixing vessel” for generating reassortant influenza viruses, such as the one causing current influenza pandemic.
Keywords: Influenza; Influenza A virus; H3N2; H1N1; Genetic similarity; Antigen drift; Immune pressure; Cross-species transmission
Correspondence of vaccine composition and most prevalent viral strains in each year; proportion of vaccinated among the elderly. São Paulo, Brazil, 1998–2002
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