Isolation of egg-adapted influenza A(H3N2) virus without amino acid substitutions in the antigenic sites of its hemagglutinin

Antigenic changes in the hemagglutinin protein of recent A(H3N2) viruses are often induced when these viruses adapt to their egg hosts. We have successfully isolated an egg-adapted influenza A(H3N2) virus, A/Saitama/103/2014, without amino acid substitutions in the antigenic sites of its hemagglutinin protein but multiple substitutions in its neuraminidase protein by serial egg passages of a cell-propagated virus. Antigenic analysis of this egg-adapted A/Saitama/103/2014 virus indicated that its antigenicity did not change from the WHO prototype cell-propagated vaccine virus, A/Hong Kong/4801/2014. Our results suggest that this strategy may facilitate egg-based vaccine production without antigenic alterations in HA by egg adaptation.