Insights into the antigenic advancement of influenza A(H3N2) viruses, 2011-2018.

ABSTRACT: Influenza A(H3N2) viruses evade human immunity primarily by acquiring antigenic changes in the haemagglutinin (HA). HA receptor-binding features of contemporary A(H3N2) viruses hinder traditional antigenic characterization using haemagglutination inhibition and promote selection of HA mutants. Thus, alternative approaches are needed to reliably assess antigenic relatedness between circulating viruses and vaccines. We developed a high content imaging-based neutralization test (HINT) to reduce antigenic mischaracterization resulting from virus adaptation to cell culture. Ferret reference antisera were raised using clinical specimens containing viruses representing recent vaccine strains. Analysis of viruses circulating during 2011-2018 showed that gain of an N158-linked glycosylation in HA w

SUBMITTER: Jorquera PA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6389938 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature