Antigenic and genetic variation in the hemagglutinins of H1N1 and H3N2 human influenza a viruses in the Shanghai area from 2005 to 2008

✍ Scribed by Xiao-wei Ren; Li-wen Ju; Ji-xing Yang; Xi-hong Lv; Lu-fang Jiang; Nai-qing Zhao; Qing-wu Jiang

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 231 KB
• Volume: 83
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0146-6615
• DOI: 10.1002/jmv.22078

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Continued rapid evolution of the influenza A virus is responsible for annual epidemics and occasional pandemics in the Shanghai area. In the present study, the representative strains of A/H1N1 and A/H3N2 influenza viruses isolated in the Shanghai area from 2005 to 2008 were antigenically and genetically characterized. The antigenic cartography method was carried out to visualize the hemagglutination‐inhibition data. Antigenic differences were detected between circulating A/H1N1 strains isolated from 2005 to 2006 and the epidemic A/H1N1 strains isolated in 2008, which were found to be associated with the amino acid substitution K140E in HA1. The present vaccine strain A/Brisbane/59/2007 is considered to be capable of providing sufficient immunity against most of the circulating A/H1N1 viruses isolated in 2008 from the Shanghai population. The study showed that there were significant antigenic differences between the epidemic A/H3N2 strains isolated in 2007 and 2008, suggesting that antigenic drift had occurred in the A/H3N2 strains isolated in 2008. The P194L mutation was thought to be responsible for the antigenic evolution of influenza A/H3N2 viruses isolated from Shanghai in 2008. Evidence of antigenic drift suggests that the influenza A/H3N2 vaccine component needs to be updated. J. Med. Virol. 83:1113–1120, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.