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Ubiquitous reassortments in influenza A viruses

Xiu-Feng Wan1, Mufit Ozden, Guohui Lin

  • 1Systems Biology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA. wanhenry@yahoo.com

Journal of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
|October 23, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Influenza A virus reassortment, the exchange of gene segments, is identified using a novel distance measurement and clustering method. This study reveals widespread reassortment among influenza A virus serotypes, highlighting pandemic threats and avian sources.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Influenza A viruses possess segmented RNA genomes, facilitating genetic reassortment.
  • Reassortment events are critical drivers of influenza virus evolution, leading to epidemic and pandemic strains.
  • Effective pandemic prevention requires accurate identification of influenza A virus reassortments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and apply a novel method for identifying reassortment events in influenza A viruses.
  • To quantify the extent of reassortment across different influenza A virus serotypes.
  • To investigate the potential pandemic threat posed by identified reassortments.

Main Methods:

  • A reassortment identification method was developed using complete composition vector (CCV) for distance measurement.
  • Segment clustering was performed using a minimum spanning tree (MST) algorithm.
  • The method was applied to analyze 2,641 PB2 segments from influenza A viruses.

Main Results:

  • The study identified 34 potential reassortment clusters among 2,641 PB2 segments.
  • A significant proportion (67.46%) of the 83 tested influenza A virus serotypes exhibited reassortment.
  • Identified reassortments involved pandemic strains (H2N1, H3N2) and avian influenza (H5N1), indicating potential future pandemic threats.
  • Wild birds, particularly migratory species, showed more frequent reassortment events.

Conclusions:

  • The developed CCV and MST-based method effectively identifies influenza A virus reassortments.
  • Widespread genetic reassortment among influenza A viruses poses a significant pandemic risk.
  • Avian influenza viruses, especially in wild migratory birds, are key reservoirs for reassortment events.
  • Continued surveillance and analysis of reassortment are crucial for global health security.

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