Structural and Molecular Characterization of the Hemagglutinin from the Fifth-Epidemic-Wave A(H7N9) Influenza Viruses.

ABSTRACT: The avian influenza A(H7N9) virus continues to cause human infections in China and is a major ongoing public health concern. Five epidemic waves of A(H7N9) infection have occurred since 2013, and the recent fifth epidemic wave saw the emergence of two distinct lineages with elevated numbers of human infection cases and broader geographic distribution of viral diseases compared to the first four epidemic waves. Moreover, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H7N9) viruses were also isolated during the fifth epidemic wave. Here, we present a detailed structural and biochemical analysis of the surface hemagglutinin (HA) antigen from viruses isolated during this recent epidemic wave. Results highlight that, compared to the 2013 virus HAs, the fifth-wave virus HAs remained a weak binder to

SUBMITTER: Yang H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6069181 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature