USA: Influenza H1N1 2009 pandemic virus, is a drift variant emerging?

[Giuseppe]

(by IOH)

The latest CDC FluView weekly report available (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/ ) recorded the first instance of an influenza A/H1N1 2009 pandemic virus detection with a somewhat reduced hemagglutination inhibition titers with ferrets antisera against the vaccine reference strain A/California/07/2009.

Antigenic Characterization:

CDC has antigenically characterized 2,209 seasonal human influenza viruses [1,219 influenza A (H1), 276 influenza A (H3) and 714 influenza B viruses] collected by U.S. laboratories since October 1, 2008, and 795 2009 influenza A (H1N1) viruses.

1,192 (98%) of 1,213 seasonal influenza A (H1) viruses tested are related to the influenza A (H1N1) component of the 2009-10 Northern Hemisphere influenza vaccine (A/Brisbane/59/2007) and 27 (2%) showed reduced titers with antisera produced against A/Brisbane/59/2007.

Two hundred twenty-nine (83%) of 276 influenza A (H3N2) viruses tested are related to the influenza A (H3N2) 2009-10 Northern Hemisphere vaccine component (A/Brisbane/10/2007-like) and 47 viruses (17%) tested showed reduced titers with antisera produced against A/Brisbane/10/2007. Many current viruses that demonstrated reduced titers with antisera produced against A/Brisbane/10/2007 are related to A/Perth/16/2009, a new reference virus that has recently evolved from A/Brisbane/10/2007. An A/Perth/16/2009-like virus was recommended by WHO as the influenza A (H3N2) vaccine strain for the 2010 Southern Hemisphere influenza vaccine.

Seven hundred ninety-four (99.9%) of 795 2009 influenza A (H1N1) viruses are related to the A/California/07/2009 (H1N1)pdm reference virus selected by WHO as the vaccine strain for the 2009-10 influenza A (H1N1) vaccine for the Northern Hemisphere.

One virus (0.1%) demonstrated reduced titers with antisera produced against A/California/07/2009 (H1N1).

This detection deserves an urgent evaluation of the eventual further spread of this drift variant in USA, north America and Europe ahead the seasonal winter peak, in order to establish the scope of the problem, if any.

 

[gsgs]

Re: USA: Influenza H1N1 2009 pandemic virus, is a drift variant emerging?

give the seuence

> Two hundred twenty-nine

I saw these things before in papers and even abstracts.
Not only numbers being written out but other simple things
were worded lengthy. That makes it harder and takes more time
to read the articles/abstracts.

Are those people being paid by the number of words ?