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Published on: December 4, 2015
Reassortment patterns in Swine influenza viruses
Hossein Khiabanian1, Vladimir Trifonov, Raul Rabadan
1Department of Biomedical Informatics and Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, United States of America. hossein@c2b2.columbia.edu
Plos One
|October 8, 2009
Summary
Pigs act as a "mixing vessel" for influenza viruses, facilitating reassortment between avian and human strains. Studying swine influenza reassortment patterns is crucial for understanding human pandemics.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Epidemiology
- Genetics
Background:
- Human influenza pandemics arise from novel viruses with low human immunity.
- Pandemic strains in 1957 and 1968 resulted from human-avian influenza reassortment.
- Swine influenza viruses have infected humans, highlighting pigs' role.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze viral reassortment phenomena in swine influenza viruses.
- To understand the role of pigs as a "mixing vessel" for influenza virus evolution.
- To identify patterns of reassortment relevant to human influenza pandemics.
Main Methods:
- Utilized publicly available influenza A virus sequence databases, including swine viruses collected since 1918.
- Applied various statistical techniques to analyze reassortment patterns.
- Examined an ensemble of swine influenza viruses.
Main Results:
- Swine influenza virus reassortment patterns mirror those found in human viruses.
- Surface glycoprotein coding segments demonstrate the most frequent reassortment.
- The PB1 polymerase segment, implicated in past pandemics, also reassorts frequently in swine strains.
Conclusions:
- Swine influenza viruses exhibit reassortment patterns similar to human influenza.
- Pigs play a significant role in generating pandemic influenza strains through viral reassortment.
- Understanding swine influenza reassortment is key to predicting and preventing future human pandemics.
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