Pandemic potential of avian influenza A (H7N9) viruses
Tokiko Watanabe1, Shinji Watanabe2, Eileen A Maher3
1Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 575 Science Drive, Madison, WI 53711, USA; ERATO Infection-Induced Host Responses Project, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Saitama 332-0012, Japan; Division of Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan.
Abstract:
Avian influenza viruses rarely infect humans, but the recently emerged avian H7N9 influenza viruses have caused sporadic infections in humans in China, resulting in 440 confirmed cases with 122 fatalities as of 16 May 2014. In addition, epidemiologic surveys suggest that there have been asymptomatic or mild human infections with H7N9 viruses. These viruses replicate efficiently in mammals, show limited transmissibility in ferrets and guinea pigs, and possess mammalian-adapting amino acid changes that likely contribute to their ability to infect mammals. In this review, we summarize the characteristic features of the novel H7N9 viruses and assess their pandemic potential.
More Related Videos
08:46Rapid Diagnosis of Avian Influenza Virus in Wild Birds: Use of a Portable rRT-PCR and Freeze-dried Reagents in the Field
Published on: August 2, 2011
07:15Preparation of Pseudo-Typed H5 Avian Influenza Viruses with Calcium Phosphate Transfection Method and Measurement of Antibody Neutralizing Activity
Published on: November 22, 2021
Related Concept Videos
Viral Recombination
Viral Mutations
Influenza
Infectious Diseases and Their Occurrence
Leaky Scanning
Vaccinations
