scholarly journals Domestic Pigs Are Susceptible to Infection with Influenza B Viruses

2015 ◽  
Vol 89 (9) ◽  
pp. 4818-4826 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiguang Ran ◽  
Huigang Shen ◽  
Yuekun Lang ◽  
Elizabeth A. Kolb ◽  
Nuri Turan ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTInfluenza B virus (IBV) causes seasonal epidemics in humans. Although IBV has been isolated from seals, humans are considered the primary host and reservoir of this important pathogen. It is unclear whether other animal species can support the replication of IBV and serve as a reservoir. Swine are naturally infected with both influenza A and C viruses. To determine the susceptibility of pigs to IBV infection, we conducted a serological survey for U.S. Midwest domestic swine herds from 2010 to 2012. Results of this study showed that antibodies to IBVs were detected in 38.5% (20/52) of sampled farms, and 7.3% (41/560) of tested swine serum samples were positive for IBV antibodies. Furthermore, swine herds infected with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) showed a higher prevalence of IBV antibodies in our 2014 survey. In addition, IBV was detected in 3 nasal swabs collected from PRRSV-seropositive pigs by real-time RT-PCR and sequencing. Finally, an experimental infection in pigs, via intranasal and intratracheal routes, was performed using one representative virus from each of the two genetically and antigenically distinct lineages of IBVs: B/Brisbane/60/2008 (Victoria lineage) and B/Yamagata/16/1988 (Yamagata lineage). Pigs developed influenza-like symptoms and lung lesions, and they seroconverted after virus inoculation. Pigs infected with B/Brisbane/60/2008 virus successfully transmitted the virus to sentinel animals. Taken together, our data demonstrate that pigs are susceptible to IBV infection; therefore, they warrant further surveillance and investigation of swine as a potential host for human IBV.IMPORTANCEIBV is an important human pathogen, but its ability to infect other species, for example, pigs, is not well understood. We showed serological evidence that antibodies to two genetically and antigenically distinct lineages of IBVs were present among domestic pigs, especially in swine herds previously infected with PRRSV, an immunosuppressive virus. IBV was detected in 3 nasal swabs from PRRSV-seropositive pigs by real-time reverse transcription-PCR and sequencing. Moreover, both lineages of IBV were able to infect pigs under experimental conditions, with transmissibility of influenza B/Victoria lineage virus among pigs being observed. Our results demonstrate that pigs are susceptible to IBV infections, indicating that IBV is a swine pathogen, and swine may serve as a natural reservoir of IBVs. In addition, pigs may serve as a model to study the mechanisms of transmission and pathogenesis of IBVs.

Folia Medica ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Golubinka Bosevska ◽  
Nikola Panovski ◽  
Elizabeta Janceska ◽  
Vladimir Mikik ◽  
Irena Kondova Topuzovska ◽  
...  

AbstractEarly diagnosis and treatment of patients with influenza is the reason why physicians need rapid high-sensitivity influenza diagnostic tests that require no complex lab equipment and can be performed and interpreted within 15 min. The Aim of this study was to compare the rapid Directigen Flu A+B test with real time PCR for detection of influenza viruses in the Republic of Macedonia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One-hundred-eight respiratory samples (combined nose and throat swabs) were routinely collected for detection of influenza virus during influenza seasons. Forty-one patients were pediatric cases and 59 were adult. Their mean age was 23 years. The patients were allocated into 6 age groups: 0 - 4 yrs, 5 - 9 yrs, 10 - 14 yrs, 15 - 19 yrs, 20-64 yrs and > 65 yrs. Each sample was tested with Directigen Flu A+B and CDC real time PCR kit for detection and typisation/subtypisation of influenza according to the lab diagnostic protocol. RESULTS: Directigen Flu A+B identified influenza A virus in 20 (18.5%) samples and influenza B virus in two 2 (1.9%) samples. The high specificity (100%) and PPV of Directigen Flu A+B we found in our study shows that the positive results do not need to be confirmed. The overall sensitivity of Directigen Flu A+B is 35.1% for influenza A virus and 33.0% for influenza B virus. The sensitivity for influenza A is higher among children hospitalized (45.0%) and outpatients (40.0%) versus adults. CONCLUSION: Directigen Flu A+B has relatively low sensitivity for detection of influenza viruses in combined nose and throat swabs. Negative results must be confirmed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 143 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 429-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelena Radovanov ◽  
Vesna Milosevic ◽  
Ivana Hrnjakovic-Cvjetkovic ◽  
Mioljub Ristic ◽  
Milan Djilas ◽  
...  

Introduction. At present, two phylogenetically distinct influenza B virus lineages, B/Yamagata and B/ Victoria, co-circulate worldwide and can cause significant morbidity and mortality. Objective. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalences of two influenza B virus lineages in the population of Vojvodina and to identify their antigenic and phylogenetic properties. Methods. A total of 369 and 334 nasopharyngeal, or nasal/throat swab samples, collected during the 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 seasons, respectively, were tested using specific singleplex influenza A, influenza B, influenza B/Yamagata and influenza B/Victoria real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays. Antigenic and genetic testing were done by hemagglutination inhibition assay and hemagglutinin and neuraminidase gene sequence analysis, respectively. Results. During the 2012/2013 season, influenza B viruses were present in 53.4% (101/189) of influenza positive samples. The B/Yamagata-like viruses (81.2%) significantly predominated over the B/Victoria-like viruses (18.8%). Comparing to B/Victoria-like positive patients, among B/Yamagata-like positive patients, children 5-14 years of age were significantly more represented (5.3% vs. 35.4%, respectively), as well as patients with mild form of illness (15.8% vs. 45.1%, respectively). The results of sequence analysis and antigenic testing showed that tested viruses were not closely related to B/Wisconsin/1/2010, the vaccine virus for 2012/2013. During the 2013/2014 season influenza B viruses were not detected. Conclusion. The results of this study confirmed the health significance of influenza B viruses and indicated that B/Yamagata-like viruses were significantly more prevalent than B/Victoria lineage viruses, during the 2012/2013 season. They also showed a sub-optimal match between the tested viruses and the vaccine virus for season 2012/2013.


2009 ◽  
Vol 58 (12) ◽  
pp. 1616-1622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anurodh S. Agrawal ◽  
Mehuli Sarkar ◽  
Sekhar Chakrabarti ◽  
K. Rajendran ◽  
Harpreet Kaur ◽  
...  

Acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) are one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in young children worldwide. Influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are the predominant aetiological agents during seasonal epidemics, and thus rapid and sensitive molecular tests for screening for such agents and timely identification of epidemics are required. This study compared real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) with conventional RT-PCR for parallel identification of influenza A virus (IAV) or influenza B virus (IBV) and RSV. A total of 1091 respiratory samples was examined from children with suspected ARTIs between January 2007 and December 2008. Of these, 275 (25.21 %) were positive for either influenza or RSV by qPCR compared with 262 (24 .01%) positive by RT-PCR. Overall, IAV, IBV and RSV were detected in 121 (11.09 %), 59 (5.41 %) and 95 (8.71 %) samples, respectively. In spite of overlapping clinical symptoms, RSV and influenza virus showed distinct seasonal peaks. IAV correlated positively and RSV negatively with rainfall and temperature. No distinct seasonality was observed in IBV infections. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first report of a systemic surveillance of respiratory viruses with seasonal correlation and prevalence rates from eastern India. This 2 year comparative analysis also confirmed the feasibility of using qPCR in developing countries, which will not only improve the scope for prevention of epidemics, but will also provide crucial epidemiological data from tropical regions.


1957 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 434-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. B. Finter ◽  
P. Armitage

1. The membrane piece technique for in vitro titrations of the infectivity of influenza virus is described. Rectangles of shell, about 8 × 25 mm., with the chorio-allantoic membrane still attached (membrane pieces) are cut from thirteenth-day fertile eggs. One piece in a test-tube with glucose-buffered salt solution forms an individual assay unit. Five or more tubes are inoculated with each virus dilution. After incubation at 37° C. for 72 hr., with agitation for the first 24 hr. the fluid in each tube is tested for haemagglutinins. From the results at each dilution, an estimate of the 50% membrane piece (MP50) infectivity titre is obtained.2. Six hundred assay units, with pieces cut from twenty eggs, can be set up by two workers in 1 hr. and used for titration of between three and twenty-four individual virus preparations, depending on the reliability desired for the 50% end-point estimates.3. With the D.S.P. and PR 8 strains of influenza A virus, the MP50 titres parallel the EID50 titres from egg titrations, but are eight times and twenty times lower, respectively. The MP50: EID50 ratio is the same for various preparations of the same strain, including standard allantoic fluid and chorio-allantoic membrane virus, incomplete virus, and inactivated (heated) allantoic fluid virus. Preliminary experiments with Lee influenza B virus show that slightly different experimental conditions are required, and the MP50 titres are about fifty times less than the EID50 titres.4. Consistent results have been obtained on titration of samples of the same virus preparation on a number of occasions over a period of several months.5. A large number of membrane pieces can be used to test each virus dilution, and sampling variations in the MP50 estimates thus made quite small. Statistical data on the reliability of a 50 % titration result, and on the minimum significant differences between two end-points, are given for different values of n, the number of membrane pieces used to test each virus dilution, and of d, the log dilution step.We are grateful to Mr J. Collins for invaluable technical assistance, and also to Miss I. Allen for help with the computations.


1944 ◽  
Vol 79 (6) ◽  
pp. 633-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
William F. Friedewald

A study of the PR8, Christie, Talmey, W.S., and swine strains of influenza A virus by means of antibody absorption tests revealed the following findings: 1. Serum antibody could be specifically absorbed with allantoic fluid containing influenza virus or, more effectively, with concentrated suspensions of virus obtained from allantoic fluid by high-speed centrifugation or by the red cell adsorption and elution technique. Normal allantoic fluid, or the centrifugalized sediment therefrom, failed to absorb antibodies. Influenza B virus (Lee) caused no detectable absorption of antibody from antisera directed against influenza A virus strains, but it specifically absorbed antibody from Lee antisera. 2. The neutralizing, agglutination-inhibiting, and complement-fixing anti-bodies in ferret antisera were completely absorbed only by the homologous virus strain, even though 2 absorptions were carried out with large amounts of heterologous virus strains. 3. PR8 virus appeared to have the broadest range of specific antigenic components for it completely absorbed the heterologous antibodies in Christie and W.S. antisera and left only those antibodies which reacted with the respective homologous strains. The other virus strains (Christie, Talmey, W.S., swine) were more specific in the absorption of heterologous antibodies and completely removed only those antibodies which reacted with the absorbing virus. 4. The absorption tests revealed a higher degree of specificity and individuality of the virus strains than the various cross reactions previously reported. The strain specificity of PR8 virus was equally manifest in absorption tests with ferret sera and with human sera following vaccination. 5. The amount of homologous antibody remaining in a PR8 ferret serum after absorption with PR8 virus, obtained by the red cell adsorption and elution method, varied inversely as the concentration of virus used for absorption. A given concentration of virus, however, absorbed a greater percentage of neutralizing antibodies than either agglutination-inhibiting or complement-fixing antibodies.


Author(s):  
Pınar YAZICI ÖZKAYA ◽  
Eşe Eda TURANLI ◽  
Hamdi METİN ◽  
Ayça Aydın UYSAL ◽  
Candan ÇİÇEK ◽  
...  

1978 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Masurel ◽  
J. I. de Bruijne ◽  
H. A. Beuningh ◽  
H. J. A. Schouten

SUMMARYHaemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibodies against the influenza viruses A/Hong Kong/8/68 (H3N2) and B/Nederland/77/66 were determined in 420 paired sera from mothers and newborns (umbilical cord sera), sampled in 1970–1.A higher concentration of antibodies against influenza A virus was found more frequently in neonatal than in maternal sera. By contrast, low titres against influenza B virus were more frequently observed in neonatal than in maternal sera. Maternal age, duration of pregnancy, and birth-weight did not affect the results of the tests.It is suggested that the titre of the newborn against an epidemic influenza virus can be predicted from that of the mother. Furthermore, the maternal titre may be an indication of the susceptibility of the newborn infant to influenza infections.


2014 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Radovanov ◽  
V. Milosevic ◽  
I. Hrnjakovic ◽  
V. Petrovic ◽  
M. Ristic ◽  
...  

At present, two influenza A viruses, H1N1pdm09 and H3N2, along with influenza B virus co-circulate in the human population, causing endemic and seasonal epidemic acute febrile respiratory infections, sometimes with life-threatening complications. Detection of influenza viruses in nasopharyngeal swab samples was done by real-time RT-PCR. There were 60.2% (53/88) positive samples in 2010/11, 63.4% (52/82) in 2011/12, and 49.9% (184/369) in 2012/13. Among the positive patients, influenza A viruses were predominant during the first two seasons, while influenza B type was more active during 2012/13. Subtyping of influenza A positive samples revealed the presence of A (H1N1)pdm09 in 2010/11, A (H3N2) in 2011/12, while in 2012/13, both subtypes were detected. The highest seroprevalence against influenza A was in the age-group 30-64, and against influenza B in adults aged 30-64 and >65.


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