Burden of Influenza is significantly higher in developing countries as compared to developed countries, but the data on the disease burden is less well defined in most of the developing countries including India, and consequently, constraints evolving strategies for prioritization of measures to prevent and control it. The swine flu or A(H1N1) pandemic is on the wane but the virus continues to ...

The adaptive evolution of the hemagglutinin (HA) segment of the human influenza H1N1 and H3N2 viruses is not well understood due to antigenic mutations under selection pressures. This paper identified significant antigenic selection sites and discussed the structural relevance of these mutations. We discovered four positively selected sites for H1N1 (position 206 for the 1A lineage - 2009 swine...

Avian influenza virus (H5N1) can be transmitted to humans, resulting in a severe or fatal disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the immune cross-reactivity between human and avian influenza (H5N1) strains in healthy donors vaccinated for seasonal influenza A (H1N1)/(H3N2). A small frequency of CD4 T cells specific for subtype H5N1 was detected in several persons at baseline, and season...

Although raccoons (Procyon lotor) are susceptible to influenza viruses, highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5N1) infection in these animals has not been reported. We performed a serosurvey of apparently healthy feral raccoons in Japan and found specific antibodies to subtype H5N1 viruses. Feral raccoons may pose a risk to farms and public health.

Avian influenza or "bird flu" is causing increasing concern across the world as experts prepare for the possible occurrence of the next human influenza pandemic. Only influenza A has ever been shown to have the capacity to cause pandemics. Currently A/H5N1, a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, is of particular concern. Outbreaks of this disease in birds, especially domestic poultry, have ...

BACKGROUND In 2008, 800 rural Thai adults living within Kamphaeng Phet Province were enrolled in a prospective cohort study of zoonotic influenza transmission. Serological analyses of enrollment sera suggested this cohort had experienced subclinical avian influenza virus (AIV) infections with H9N2 and H5N1 viruses. METHODS After enrollment, participants were contacted weekly for 24 mos for ac...

conclusions the aiv loaded into cnp vaccines induce appropriate antibody titers, after a single immunization, while requiring a low dose of antigen. the cnp also represent an interesting new platform for antigen delivery and a promising adjuvant candidate for h9n2 inactivated influenza vaccine. results the cnp did not cause any mortality or side effects, when chickens were administered the prep...

Mallards are widely recognized as reservoirs for Influenza A viruses (IAV); however, host factors that might prompt seasonality and trends in subtype diversity of IAV such as adaptive heterosubtypic immunity (HSI) are not well understood. To investigate this, we inoculated mallards with a prevailing H3N8 low pathogenic avian influenza virus (LPAIV) subtype in waterfowl to determine if prior inf...

materials and methods a total of 300 day-old broiler chicks (ross 308) divided into three equal groups (1 to 3) .the chicks in group 1 were immunized with killed aiv h9n2. the chicks in group 2 were infected with ai virus subtype h9n2. the chicks in group 3 were kept as controls and did not receive any vaccined or lived virus. chicks sera were collected at day 42 usingrns1-elisa and commercial ...

background: a new pandemic influenza a (h1n1) emerged in april 2009, causing considerable morbidity and mortality. since mutations in the haemagglutinin (ha) may influence the antigenicity and pathogenicity of the virus, continued epidemiological and molecular characterization for the effective control of pandemic flu and developing of more appropriate vaccine is crucial. objective: to monitor ...