Tsou Tsung-Pei, Su Chia-Ping, Huang Wan-Ting, Yan. Influenza A(H3N2) virus variants and patient characteristics during a summer influenza epidemic in Taiwan, 2017. Euro Surveill. 2017;22(50):pii=17-00767.
Recently, influenza A(H3N2) virus variants carrying substitutions N121K, S144K and T135K have been reported in Canada, Denmark, Israel and the United Kingdom (UK), causing outbreaks during the northern hemisphere 2016/17 influenza season and suboptimal vaccine effectiveness (VE) [1-5]. Information on clinical characteristics of patients infected with these variants is lacking, and the impact on public health practice remains unknown.
In Taiwan, the influenza season usually starts from December, and peaks in January to February of the following year [6]. The 2016/17 influenza season in Taiwan has been characterised by an unusual summer peak, which started in mid-May, peaked in late June and returned to baseline in August, with predominant circulation of influenza A(H3N2) viruses [7]. We performed a phylogenetic analysis of the variants and analysed the characteristics of patients with severe illness to fill the gap between knowledge about virological characteristics and their possible implications for public health practice.
In Taiwan, the influenza season usually starts from December, and peaks in January to February of the following year [6]. The 2016/17 influenza season in Taiwan has been characterised by an unusual summer peak, which started in mid-May, peaked in late June and returned to baseline in August, with predominant circulation of influenza A(H3N2) viruses [7]. We performed a phylogenetic analysis of the variants and analysed the characteristics of patients with severe illness to fill the gap between knowledge about virological characteristics and their possible implications for public health practice.
See Also:
Latest articles in those days:
- [preprint] Potential Pathways of Spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A/H5N1 Clade 2.3.4.4b Across Dairy Farms in the United States 13 hours ago
- [preprint] The avian and human influenza A virus receptors sialic acid (SA)-α2,3 and SA-α2,6 are widely expressed in the bovine mammary gland 13 hours ago
- Repeatability and reproducibility of hunter-harvest sampling for avian influenza virus surveillance in Great Britain 14 hours ago
- The RBPome of influenza A virus NP-mRNA reveals a role for TDP-43 in viral replication 14 hours ago
- Novel Genotype of HA Clade 2.3.4.4b H5N8 Subtype High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza Virus Emerged at a Wintering Site of Migratory Birds in Japan, 2021/22 Winter 14 hours ago
[Go Top] [Close Window]