Reduced accumulation of defective viral genomes contributes to severe outcome in influenza virus infected patients.

ABSTRACT: Influenza A virus (IAV) infection can be severe or even lethal in toddlers, the elderly and patients with certain medical conditions. Infection of apparently healthy individuals nonetheless accounts for many severe disease cases and deaths, suggesting that viruses with increased pathogenicity co-circulate with pandemic or epidemic viruses. Looking for potential virulence factors, we have identified a polymerase PA D529N mutation detected in a fatal IAV case, whose introduction into two different recombinant virus backbones, led to reduced defective viral genomes (DVGs) production. This mutation conferred low induction of antiviral response in infected cells and increased pathogenesis in mice. To analyze the association between low DVGs production and pathogenesis in humans, we performed a

SUBMITTER: Vasilijevic J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5638565 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature