H1N1 influenza causes substantial seasonal illness and was the subtype of the 2009 influenza pandemic. Precise measures of antigenic distance between the vaccine and circulating virus strains help researchers design influenza vaccines with high vaccine effectiveness. We here introduce a sequence-based method to predict vaccine effectiveness in humans. Historical epidemiological data show that t...

INTRODUCTION Avian influenza viruses circulate in bird populations, and it is important to maintain and uphold our knowledge of the viral strains that are currently of interest in this context. Here, we describe the use of hemagglutinin-pseudotype retroviruses based on highly pathogenic influenza viruses for the screening of avian sera for influenza A antibodies. Our aim was also to determine w...

By the plaque reduction neutralization test, the CU-1 strain of canine rotavirus was similar, if not identical, to three strains (no. 14, no. 15, and P) of the tentatively designated third human rotavirus serotype. In addition, strain CU-1 demonstrated a one-way antigenic relationship with two other strains (M and B) of the third human rotavirus serotype. The CU-1 strain of canine rotavirus hem...

BACKGROUND While the immunogenicity and effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccines among subjects with severe motor and intellectual disability (SMID) are known to be diminished, the efficacy of the A/H1N1pdm vaccine has not been evaluated. METHODS We prospectively evaluated 103 subjects with SMID (mean age, 41.7 years) who received trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine during the 2010/11...

OBJECTIVE To report the first Ilheus arboviruses isolated from wild birds and analyze its public health impact. METHODS Wild birds and mammals were captured using mist nets and Tomahawk traps, respectively. Blood samples were drawn from these animals and inoculated intracerebrally in Swiss suckling mice found in the Parque Ecológico do Tietê, Brazil. The isolates were identified by serologica...

INTRODUCTION The seroprevalence study was performed in Vojvodina during May and June 2010 in order to asses the effects of the 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1)v epidemic on herd immunity. It was a part of the Serbian Ministry of Health funded nationwide study. OBJECTIVE Prevalence of antibodies against 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1)v was determined in a 1% sample of the population monitored f...

BACKGROUND Although the elderly are at high risk for influenza, the immunogenicity in the elderly is lower than that in younger adults. We developed the new type of seasonal influenza vaccine with the novel intradermal (ID) injection system. In the previous exploratory phase I/II study of the ID vaccine with a dose of 15 μg HA per strain showed the superior immunogenicity profile to that of the...

In September of 1957, when this study was initiated, numerous questions had arisen concerning the epidemiological and serological characteristics of the new Type A Asian influenza virus and the vaccine developed to combat it. It was decided, therefore, to undertake a study to investigate: (i) the attack rate in a vaccinated as compared to that in an unvaccinated group living in the same communi...

BACKGROUND Influenza outbreaks have been reported among travelers, but attack rates and incidence are unknown. METHODS A cohort study was conducted. Travelers to subtropical and tropical countries recruited at the University of Zurich Travel Clinic (Switzerland), January 1998 to March 2000, were investigated with pre- and posttravel assessment of hemagglutination inhibition and by questionnai...

An entomological and serological survey was performed in three localities of the Department of Concepción, Province of Corrientes, Argentina in 1998 and 1999, to identify triatomines species involved in domestic and wild transmission of Chagas disease. Triatomines were collected by man/hour capture in 32 houses randomly selected and 44 nearby outdoor ecotopes. Trypanosoma cruzi infection in tri...