[Antigenic and biological characteristics of influenza virus A strains isolated in 1985]

The antigenic structure of hemagglutinin of influenza A virus (H3N2) strains isolated in 1985 was studied using a series of monoclonal antibody to A/Dunedin/4/73/A (H3N2) and A/Bangkok/1/79/A (H3N2), and biological and physico-chemical properties of these strains were compared with those of influenza A (H3N2) virus of 1983 and reference A (H3N2) of 1979-1984 (the rate of adsorption on chick erythrocytes and eluting activity, thermostability of hemagglutinin and neuraminidase, sensitivity to nonionic detergents, sensitivity to remantadine, analysis of virion polypeptide composition). A high degree of heterogeneity of the 1985 strain population of influenza A (H3N2) virus was revealed both in the antigenic structure of hemagglutinin and in all the biological and physico-chemical parameters tested. It was suggested that the A/Caen/1/84 strain originated not from A/Philippines/2/82 but directly from A/Texas/1/77.