UNLABELLED Influenza A virus (IAV) periodically causes substantial morbidity and mortality in the human population. In the lower lung, the primary targets for IAV replication are type II alveolar epithelial cells (AECII), which are increasingly recognized for their immunological potential. So far, little is known about their reaction to IAV and their contribution to respiratory antiviral immuni...

UNLABELLED Bacterial superinfections are a primary cause of death during influenza pandemics and epidemics. Type I interferon (IFN) signaling contributes to increased susceptibility of mice to bacterial superinfection around day 7 post-influenza A virus (IAV) infection. Here we demonstrate that the reduced susceptibility to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) at day 3 post-IAV in...

Cleavage of influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) by host proteases is essential for infectivity. HA most A and B (IAV/IBV) viruses cleaved at a monobasic motif trypsin-like proteases. Previous studies have reported that transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) activation H7N9 H1N1pdm IAV in mice but H3N2 IBV independent TMPRSS2 carried out as-yet-undetermined protease(s). Here, to identify addit...

Daily oscillations of pulmonary function depend on the rhythmic activity of the circadian timing system. Environmental tobacco/cigarette smoke (CS) disrupts circadian clock leading to enhanced inflammatory responses. Infection with influenza A virus (IAV) increases hospitalization rates and death in susceptible individuals, including patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). W...

During recent years, extensive amounts of data have become available regarding influenza A virus (IAV) in wild birds in northern Europe, while information from southern Europe is more limited. Here, we present an IAV surveillance study conducted in western Portugal 2008-2009, analyzing 1653 samples from six different species of waterfowl, with the majority of samples taken from Mallards (Anas p...

Enhancing the knowledge of host factors that are required for efficient influenza A virus (IAV) replication is essential to address questions related to pathogenicity and to identify targets for antiviral drug development. Here we focused on the interplay between IAV and DExD-box RNA helicases (DDX), which play a key role in cellular RNA metabolism by remodeling RNA-RNA or RNA-protein complexes...

BACKGROUND Guatemala is the country with the largest swine production in Central America; however, evidence of influenza A virus (IAV) in pigs has not been clearly delineated. OBJECTIVES In this study, we analyzed the presence and spatial distribution of IAV in commercial and backyard swine populations. METHODS Samples from two nationwide surveys conducted in 2010 and 2011 were tested using...

Wild dabbling ducks (genus Anas) are the main reservoir for influenza A virus (IAV) in the Northern Hemisphere. Current understanding of disease dynamics and epidemiology in this virus-host system has primarily been based on population-level surveillance studies and infection experiments conducted in laboratory settings. Using a combined experimental-natural approach with wild-strain captive ma...

BACKGROUND Edible Bird's Nest (EBN) as a popular traditional Chinese medicine is believed to have health enhancing and antiviral activities against influenza A virus (IAV); however, the molecular mechanism behind therapeutic effects of EBN is not well characterized. METHODS In this study, EBNs that underwent different enzymatic preparation were tested against IAV infected cells. 50% cytotoxic...

BACKGROUND Double-stranded RNA dependent protein kinase (PKR) is a key regulator of the anti-viral innate immune response in mammalian cells. PKR activity is regulated by a 58 kilo Dalton cellular inhibitor (P58(IPK)), which is present in inactive state as a complex with Hsp40 under normal conditions. In case of influenza A virus (IAV) infection, P58(IPK) is known to dissociate from Hsp40 and i...