Reconstruction of the Evolutionary Dynamics of A(H3N2) Influenza Viruses Circulating in Italy from 2004 to 2012.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Influenza A viruses are characterised by their rapid evolution, and the appearance of point mutations in the viral hemagglutinin (HA) domain causes seasonal epidemics. The A(H3N2) virus has higher mutation rate than the A(H1N1) virus. The aim of this study was to reconstruct the evolutionary dynamics of the A(H3N2) viruses circulating in Italy between 2004 and 2012 in the light of the forces driving viral evolution.

Methods

Phylodinamic analyses were made using a Bayesian method, and codon-specific positive selection acting on the HA coding sequence was evaluated.

Results

Global and local phylogenetic analyses showed that the Italian strains collected between 2004 and 2012 grouped into five significant Italian clades that included viral sequences circulatin

SUBMITTER: Ebranati E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4558001 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature