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Updated: Jun 23, 2026

A Miniaturized Glycan Microarray Assay for Assessing Avidity and Specificity of Influenza A Virus Hemagglutinins
Published on: May 29, 2016
Sialic acid tissue distribution and influenza virus tropism
Urban Kumlin1, Sigvard Olofsson, Ken Dimock
1Department of Clinical Microbiology, Division of Virology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Abstract:
Avian influenza A viruses exhibit a strong preference for using alpha2,3-linked sialic acid as a receptor. Until recently, the presumed lack of this receptor in human airways was believed to constitute an efficient barrier to avian influenza A virus infection of humans. Recent zoonotic outbreaks of avian influenza A virus have triggered researchers to analyse tissue distribution of sialic acid in further detail. Here, we review and extend the current knowledge about sialic acid distribution in human tissues, and discuss viruses with ocular tropism and their preference for alpha2,3-linked sialic acid.
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