Giuseppe
Emeritus
[Source: Journal of Virology, full page: (LINK). Abstract, edited.]
H6 influenza viruses pose a potential threat to human health
Guojun Wang 1,2, Guohua Deng 2, Jianzhong Shi 2, Weiyu Luo 1,2, Guoquan Zhang 1,2, Qianyi Zhang 1,2, Liling Liu 2, Yongping Jiang 2, Chengjun Li 2, Nongluk Sriwilaijaroen 3,4, Hiroaki Hiramatsu 4, Yasuo Suzuki 4, Yoshihiro Kawaoka 5 and Hualan Chen 1,2*
Author Affiliations: <SUP>1</SUP>College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730030, People's Republic of China. <SUP>2</SUP>State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China. <SUP>3</SUP>Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University (Rangsit Campus), Pathumthani 12120, Thailand <SUP>4</SUP>College of Life and Health Sciences, Chubu University, Health Science Hills, 1200 Matsumoto-cho Kasugai-shi, Aichi, 487-8501, Japan <SUP>5</SUP>International Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan
Published ahead of print 5 February 2014, doi: 10.1128/JVI.03292-13 <CITE>JVI.03292-13 </CITE>
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<CITE></CITE>ABSTRACT
Influenza viruses of the H6 subtype have been isolated from wild and domestic aquatic and terrestrial avian species throughout the world since their first detection in a turkey in Massachusetts, USA, in 1965. Since 1997, H6 viruses with different NA subtypes have been detected frequently in the live poultry markets of southern China. Although sequence information has been gathered over the last few years, the H6 viruses have not been fully biologically characterized. To investigate the potential risk posed by H6 viruses to humans, here, we assessed the receptor-binding preference, replication, and transmissibility in mammals of a series of H6 viruses isolated from live poultry markets in southern China from 2008?2011. Among the 257 H6 strains tested, 87 viruses recognized the human-type receptor. Genome sequence analysis of 38 H6 representative viruses revealed 30 different genotypes, indicating that these viruses are actively circulating and reassorting in nature. Thirty-seven of 38 viruses tested in mice replicated efficiently in the lungs and some caused mild disease; none, however, were lethal. We also tested the direct contact transmission of 10 H6 viruses in guinea pigs, and found that five viruses did not transmit to the contact animals, three viruses transmitted to one of the three contact animals, and two viruses transmitted to all three contact animals. Our study demonstrates that the H6 avian influenza viruses pose a clear threat to human health and emphasizes the need for the continued surveillance and evaluation of the H6 influenza viruses circulating in nature.
Importance
Avian influenza viruses continue to present a challenge to human health. Research and pandemic preparedness have largely focused on the H5 and H7 subtype influenza viruses in recent years. Influenza viruses of the H6 subtype have been isolated from wild and domestic aquatic and terrestrial avian species throughout the world since their first detection in USA, in 1965. Since 1997, H6 viruses have been detected frequently in the live poultry markets of southern China, however, the biological characterization of these viruses is very limited. Here, we assessed the receptor-binding preference, replication, and transmissibility in mammals of a series of H6 viruses isolated from live poultry markets in southern China, and found 34% of the viruses are able to bind human-type receptors and some of them are able to transmit efficiently to contact animals. Our study demonstrates that the H6 viruses pose a clear threat to human health.
FOOTNOTES
*To whom correspondence should be sent. E-mail: chenhualan@caas.cn
Copyright ? 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
The authors have paid a fee to allow immediate free access to this article.
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H6 influenza viruses pose a potential threat to human health
Guojun Wang 1,2, Guohua Deng 2, Jianzhong Shi 2, Weiyu Luo 1,2, Guoquan Zhang 1,2, Qianyi Zhang 1,2, Liling Liu 2, Yongping Jiang 2, Chengjun Li 2, Nongluk Sriwilaijaroen 3,4, Hiroaki Hiramatsu 4, Yasuo Suzuki 4, Yoshihiro Kawaoka 5 and Hualan Chen 1,2*
Author Affiliations: <SUP>1</SUP>College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730030, People's Republic of China. <SUP>2</SUP>State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China. <SUP>3</SUP>Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University (Rangsit Campus), Pathumthani 12120, Thailand <SUP>4</SUP>College of Life and Health Sciences, Chubu University, Health Science Hills, 1200 Matsumoto-cho Kasugai-shi, Aichi, 487-8501, Japan <SUP>5</SUP>International Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan
Published ahead of print 5 February 2014, doi: 10.1128/JVI.03292-13 <CITE>JVI.03292-13 </CITE>
<CITE></CITE>
<CITE></CITE>
<CITE></CITE>ABSTRACT
Influenza viruses of the H6 subtype have been isolated from wild and domestic aquatic and terrestrial avian species throughout the world since their first detection in a turkey in Massachusetts, USA, in 1965. Since 1997, H6 viruses with different NA subtypes have been detected frequently in the live poultry markets of southern China. Although sequence information has been gathered over the last few years, the H6 viruses have not been fully biologically characterized. To investigate the potential risk posed by H6 viruses to humans, here, we assessed the receptor-binding preference, replication, and transmissibility in mammals of a series of H6 viruses isolated from live poultry markets in southern China from 2008?2011. Among the 257 H6 strains tested, 87 viruses recognized the human-type receptor. Genome sequence analysis of 38 H6 representative viruses revealed 30 different genotypes, indicating that these viruses are actively circulating and reassorting in nature. Thirty-seven of 38 viruses tested in mice replicated efficiently in the lungs and some caused mild disease; none, however, were lethal. We also tested the direct contact transmission of 10 H6 viruses in guinea pigs, and found that five viruses did not transmit to the contact animals, three viruses transmitted to one of the three contact animals, and two viruses transmitted to all three contact animals. Our study demonstrates that the H6 avian influenza viruses pose a clear threat to human health and emphasizes the need for the continued surveillance and evaluation of the H6 influenza viruses circulating in nature.
Importance
Avian influenza viruses continue to present a challenge to human health. Research and pandemic preparedness have largely focused on the H5 and H7 subtype influenza viruses in recent years. Influenza viruses of the H6 subtype have been isolated from wild and domestic aquatic and terrestrial avian species throughout the world since their first detection in USA, in 1965. Since 1997, H6 viruses have been detected frequently in the live poultry markets of southern China, however, the biological characterization of these viruses is very limited. Here, we assessed the receptor-binding preference, replication, and transmissibility in mammals of a series of H6 viruses isolated from live poultry markets in southern China, and found 34% of the viruses are able to bind human-type receptors and some of them are able to transmit efficiently to contact animals. Our study demonstrates that the H6 viruses pose a clear threat to human health.
FOOTNOTES
*To whom correspondence should be sent. E-mail: chenhualan@caas.cn
Copyright ? 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
The authors have paid a fee to allow immediate free access to this article.
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