Molecular epidemiology of influenza A/H3N2 viruses circulating in Mexico from 2003 to 2012.

ABSTRACT: In this work, nineteen influenza A/H3N2 viruses isolated in Mexico between 2003 and 2012 were studied. Our findings show that different human A/H3N2 viral lineages co-circulate within a same season and can also persist locally in between different influenza seasons, increasing the chance for genetic reassortment events. A novel minor cluster was also identified, named here as Korea, that circulated worldwide during 2003. Frequently, phylogenetic characterization did not correlate with the determined antigenic identity, supporting the need for the use of molecular evolutionary tools additionally to antigenic data for the surveillance and characterization of viral diversity during each flu season. This work represents the first long-term molecular epidemiology study of influenza A/H3N2 virus

SUBMITTER: Escalera-Zamudio M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4116128 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature