Cocirculation of Swine H1N1 Influenza A Virus Lineages in Germany
VIRUSES-BASEL
Authors: Zell, Roland; Groth, Marco; Krumbholz, Andi; Lange, Jeannette; Philipps, Anja; Duerrwald, Ralf
Abstract
The genome analysis of 328 H1N1 swine influenza virus isolates collected in a 13-year long-term swine influenza surveillance in Germany is reported. Viral genomes were sequenced with the Illumina next-generation sequencing technique and conventional Sanger methods. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted with Bayesian tree inference. The results indicate continued prevalence of Eurasian avian swine H1N1 but also emergence of a novel H1N1 reassortant, named Schneiderkrug/2013-like swine H1N1, with human-like hemagglutinin and avian-like neuraminidase and internal genes. Additionally, the evolution of an antigenic drift variant of A (H1N1) pdm09 was observed, named Wachtum/2014-like swine H1N1. Both variants were first isolated in northwest Germany, spread to neighboring German states and reached greater proportions of the H1N1 isolates of 2014 and 2015. The upsurge of Wachtum/2014-like swine H1N1 is of interest as this is the first documented persistent swine-to-swine spread of A (H1N1) pdm09 in Germany associated with antigenic variation. Present enzootic swine influenza viruses in Germany now include two or more co-circulating, antigenically variant viruses of each of the subtypes, H1N1 and H1N2.
Predominance of influenza virus A(H3N2) 3C.2a1b and A(H1N1)pdm09 68.1A5A genetic subclades in the WHO European Region, 2018-2019
VACCINE
Authors: Melidou, Angeliki; Hungnes, Olav; Pereyaslov, Dmitriy; Adlhoch, Cornelia; Segaloff, Hannah; Robesyn, Emmanuel; Penttinen, Pasi; Olsen, Sonja J.
Abstract
Background: The 2018/2019 influenza season in the WHO European Region was dominated by influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 and (H3N2) viruses, with very few influenza B viruses detected. Methods: Countries in the European Region reported virus characterization data to The European Surveillance System for weeks 40/2018 to 20/2019. These virus antigenic and genetic characterization and haemagglutinin (HA) sequence data were analysed to describe and assess circulating viruses relative to the 2018/2019 vaccine virus components for the northern hemisphere. Results: Thirty countries reported 4776 viruses characterized genetically and 3311 viruses antigenically. All genetically characterized A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses fell in subclade 613.1A, of which 90% carried the amino acid substitution S183P in the HA gene. Antigenic data indicated that circulating A(H1N1) pdm09 viruses were similar to the 2018/2019 vaccine virus. Genetic data showed that A(H3N2) viruses mostly fell in Glade 3C.2a (75%) and 90% of which were subclade 3C.2a1b. A lower proportion fell in Glade 3C.3a (23%) and were antigenically distinct from the vaccine virus. All B/Victoria viruses belonged to Glade 1A; 30% carried a double amino acid deletion in HA and were genetically and antigenically similar to the vaccine virus component, while 55% carried a triple amino acid deletion or no deletion in HA; these were antigenically distinct from each other and from the vaccine component. All B/Yamagata viruses belonged to Glade 3 and were antigenically similar to the virus component in the quadrivalent vaccine for 2018/2019. Conclusions: A simultaneous circulation of genetically and antigenically diverse A(H3N2) and B/Victoria viruses was observed and represented a challenge to vaccine strain selection. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.