Weak selection and stochastic processes limit the emergence of antigenic variants during household transmission of influenza A viruses.

ABSTRACT: Influenza viruses undergo antigenic drift, the gradual accumulation of mutations that cause antigenic changes in the viral surface proteins hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Although selection for antigenic variants is detectable on the global scale, the processes by which antigenic variants are generated and selected in individual hosts remain unclear. It has been hypothesized that selection for antigenic variants may occur during the establishment of a new infection, rather than over time in a single host. Here, we leveraged a large household cohort study to assess whether selection was detectable between acutely infected hosts. We investigated influenza A virus evolution using specimens from 384 children and household contacts with RT-PCR-confirmed influenza A infection, repres

SUBMITTER: Ries HJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12637474 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature