1
|
Siemaszko J, Marzec-Przyszlak A, Bogunia-Kubik K. Activating NKG2C Receptor: Functional Characteristics and Current Strategies in Clinical Applications. Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz) 2023; 71:9. [PMID: 36899273 PMCID: PMC10004456 DOI: 10.1007/s00005-023-00674-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
The interest in NK cells and their cytotoxic activity against tumour, infected or transformed cells continuously increases as they become a new efficient and off-the-shelf agents in immunotherapies. Their actions are balanced by a wide set of activating and inhibitory receptors, recognizing their complementary ligands on target cells. One of the most studied receptors is the activating CD94/NKG2C molecule, which is a member of the C-type lectin-like family. This review is intended to summarise latest research findings on the clinical relevance of NKG2C receptor and to examine its contribution to current and potential therapeutic strategies. It outlines functional characteristics and molecular features of CD94/NKG2C, its interactions with HLA-E molecule and presented antigens, pointing out a key role of this receptor in immunosurveillance, especially in the human cytomegalovirus infection. Additionally, the authors attempt to shed some light on receptor's unique interaction with its ligand which is shared with another receptor (CD94/NKG2A) with rather opposite properties.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jagoda Siemaszko
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunogenetics and Pharmacogenetics, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Marzec-Przyszlak
- Department of Biosensors and Processing of Biomedical Signals, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Zabrze, Poland
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Katarzyna Bogunia-Kubik
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunogenetics and Pharmacogenetics, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zhao B, Chen Y, Li M, Zhou J, Teng Z, Chen J, Zhao X, Wu H, Bai T, Mao S, Fang F, Chu W, Huang H, Huai C, Shen L, Zhou W, Sun L, Zheng X, Cheng G, Sun Y, Wang D, He L, Shu Y, Zhang X, Qin S. Novel susceptibility loci for A(H7N9) infection identified by next generation sequencing and functional analysis. Sci Rep 2020; 10:11768. [PMID: 32678187 PMCID: PMC7366728 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-68675-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The A(H7N9) virus strain that emerged in 2013 was associated with a high fatality rate and may become a long-term threat to public health. A(H7N9) disease incidence is disproportionate to viral exposure, suggesting that host genetic factors may significantly influence susceptibility to A(H7N9) infection. Human genome variation in conferring risk for A(H7N9) infection in Chinese populations was identified by a two-stage investigation involving 121 A(H7N9) patients and 187 healthy controls using next generation sequencing followed by functional analysis. As a result, a low frequency variant (rs189256251; P = 0.0303, OR = 3.45, 95% CI 1.05–11.35, chi-square test) and three HLA alleles (DQB1*06:01, DQA1*05:05 and C*12:02) were identified in A(H7N9) infected volunteers. In an A549 cell line carrying the rs189256251 variant CT genotype, A(H7N9) infection incidence was elevated 6.665-fold over control cells carrying the CC genotype. Serum levels of interferon alpha were significantly lower in patients with the CT genotype compared to the CC genotype (P = 0.01). The study findings of genetic predisposition to A(H7N9) in the Chinese population may be valuable in systematic investigations of A(H7N9) disease etiology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Baihui Zhao
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China.,Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, 200036, China
| | - Yongkun Chen
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 510275, China
| | - Mo Li
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Jianfang Zhou
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Collaboration Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Key Laboratory for Medical Virology, National Health Commission, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Zheng Teng
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, 200036, China
| | - Jian Chen
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, 200036, China
| | - Xue Zhao
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, 200036, China
| | - Hao Wu
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Tian Bai
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Collaboration Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Key Laboratory for Medical Virology, National Health Commission, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Shenghua Mao
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, 200036, China
| | - Fanghao Fang
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, 200036, China
| | - Wei Chu
- Shanghai Huangpu District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, 200023, China
| | - Hailiang Huang
- Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.,Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Cong Huai
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Lu Shen
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Wei Zhou
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Liangdan Sun
- Department of Dermatology, No. 1 Hospital and Key Laboratory of Dermatology, Ministry of Education, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
| | - Xiaodong Zheng
- Department of Dermatology, No. 1 Hospital and Key Laboratory of Dermatology, Ministry of Education, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
| | | | - Ye Sun
- Jinan Infectious Disease Hospital, Jinan, 250021, China
| | - Dayan Wang
- National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention China CDC, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Lin He
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Yuelong Shu
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 510275, China. .,National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Collaboration Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Key Laboratory for Medical Virology, National Health Commission, Beijing, 102206, China.
| | - Xi Zhang
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, 200036, China.
| | - Shengying Qin
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China. .,Collaborative Innovation Center, Jining Medical University, Jining, 272067, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Xiao Y, Park JK, Williams S, Ramuta M, Cervantes-Medina A, Bristol T, Smith S, Czajkowski L, Han A, Kash JC, Memoli MJ, Taubenberger JK. Deep sequencing of 2009 influenza A/H1N1 virus isolated from volunteer human challenge study participants and natural infections. Virology 2019; 534:96-107. [PMID: 31226666 PMCID: PMC6652224 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2019.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2019] [Revised: 06/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/06/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Nasal wash samples from 15 human volunteers challenged with GMP manufactured influenza A/California/04/2009(H1N1) and from 5 naturally infected influenza patients of the 2009 pandemic were deep sequenced using viral targeted hybridization enrichment. Ten single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) positions were found in the challenge virus. Some of the nonsynonymous changes in the inoculant virus were maintained in some challenge participants, but not in others, indicating that virus is evolving away from the Vero cell adapted inoculant, for example SNPs in the neuraminidase. Many SNP sites in challenge patients and naturally infected patients were found, many not identified previously. The SNPs identified, and phylogenetic analyses, showed that intrahost evolution of the virus are different in challenge participants and naturally infected patients. This study, using hybridization enrichment without PCR, provided an accurate and unbiased assessment of differential intrahost viral evolution from a uniform influenza inoculant in humans and comparison to naturally infected patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yongli Xiao
- Viral Pathogenesis and Evolution Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Jae-Keun Park
- Viral Pathogenesis and Evolution Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Stephanie Williams
- Viral Pathogenesis and Evolution Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Mitchell Ramuta
- Viral Pathogenesis and Evolution Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Adriana Cervantes-Medina
- Clinical Studies Unit, Laboratory if Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Tyler Bristol
- Clinical Studies Unit, Laboratory if Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sarah Smith
- Clinical Studies Unit, Laboratory if Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Lindsay Czajkowski
- Clinical Studies Unit, Laboratory if Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Alison Han
- Clinical Studies Unit, Laboratory if Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - John C Kash
- Viral Pathogenesis and Evolution Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Matthew J Memoli
- Clinical Studies Unit, Laboratory if Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jeffery K Taubenberger
- Viral Pathogenesis and Evolution Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Wellington D, Laurenson-Schafer H, Abdel-Haq A, Dong T. IFITM3: How genetics influence influenza infection demographically. Biomed J 2019; 42:19-26. [PMID: 30987701 PMCID: PMC6468115 DOI: 10.1016/j.bj.2019.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Revised: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of host genetics in influenza infection is unclear despite decades of interest. Confounding factors such as age, sex, ethnicity and environmental factors have made it difficult to assess the role of genetics without influence. In recent years a single nucleotide polymorphism, interferon-induced transmembrane protein 3 (IFITM3) rs12252, has been shown to alter the severity of influenza infection in Asian populations. In this review we investigate this polymorphism as well as several others suggested to alter the host's defence against influenza infection. In addition, we highlight the open questions surrounding the viral restriction protein IFITM3 with the hope that by answering some of these questions we can elucidate the mechanism of IFITM3 viral restriction and therefore how this restriction is altered due to the rs12252 polymorphism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dannielle Wellington
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, WIMM, University of Oxford, OX3 9DS, UK; CAMS Oxford Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Oxford University, OX3 9FZ, UK.
| | - Henry Laurenson-Schafer
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, WIMM, University of Oxford, OX3 9DS, UK; CAMS Oxford Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Oxford University, OX3 9FZ, UK
| | - Adi Abdel-Haq
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, WIMM, University of Oxford, OX3 9DS, UK; Martin-Luther-University, Halle-Wittenberg, Germany
| | - Tao Dong
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, WIMM, University of Oxford, OX3 9DS, UK; CAMS Oxford Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Oxford University, OX3 9FZ, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Xiao YL, Ren L, Zhang X, Qi L, Kash JC, Xiao Y, Wu F, Wang J, Taubenberger JK. Deep Sequencing of H7N9 Influenza A Viruses from 16 Infected Patients from 2013 to 2015 in Shanghai Reveals Genetic Diversity and Antigenic Drift. mSphere 2018; 3:e00462-18. [PMID: 30232169 PMCID: PMC6147129 DOI: 10.1128/mspheredirect.00462-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Accepted: 08/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Influenza A virus (IAV) infections are a major public health concern, including annual epidemics, epizootic outbreaks, and pandemics. A significant IAV epizootic outbreak was the H7N9 avian influenza A outbreak in China, which was first detected in 2013 and which has spread over 5 waves from 2013 to 2017, causing human infections in many different Chinese provinces. Here, RNA from primary clinical throat swab samples from 20 H7N9-infected local patients with different clinical outcomes, who were admitted and treated at one hospital in Shanghai, China, from April 2013 to April 2015, was analyzed. Whole-transcriptome amplification, with positive enrichment of IAV RNA, was performed, all 20 samples were subjected to deep sequencing, and data from 16 samples were analyzed in detail. Many single-nucleotide polymorphisms, including ones not previously reported, and many nonsynonymous changes that could affect hemagglutinin head and stalk antibody binding epitopes were observed. Minor populations representing viral quasispecies, including nonsynonymous hemagglutinin changes shared by antigenically variant H7N9 clades identified in the most recent wave of H7N9 infections in 2016 to 2017, were also identified.IMPORTANCE H7N9 subtype avian influenza viruses caused infections in over 1,400 humans from 2013 to 2017 and resulted in almost 600 deaths. It is important to understand how avian influenza viruses infect and cause disease in humans and to assess their potential for efficient person-to-person transmission. In this study, we used deep sequencing of primary clinical material to assess the evolution and potential for human adaptation of H7N9 influenza viruses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yong-Li Xiao
- Viral Pathogenesis and Evolution Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Lili Ren
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens and Christophe Mérieux Laboratory, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Xi Zhang
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Li Qi
- Viral Pathogenesis and Evolution Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - John C Kash
- Viral Pathogenesis and Evolution Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Yan Xiao
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens and Christophe Mérieux Laboratory, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Fan Wu
- Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianwei Wang
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens and Christophe Mérieux Laboratory, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Jeffery K Taubenberger
- Viral Pathogenesis and Evolution Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Lee N, Cao B, Ke C, Lu H, Hu Y, Tam CHT, Ma RCW, Guan D, Zhu Z, Li H, Lin M, Wong RYK, Yung IMH, Hung TN, Kwok K, Horby P, Hui DSC, Chan MCW, Chan PKS. IFITM3, TLR3, and CD55 Gene SNPs and Cumulative Genetic Risks for Severe Outcomes in Chinese Patients With H7N9/H1N1pdm09 Influenza. J Infect Dis 2017; 216:97-104. [PMID: 28510725 PMCID: PMC7107409 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jix235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2017] [Accepted: 05/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background. We examined associations between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of IFITM3, TLR3, and CD55 genes and influenza clinical outcomes in Chinese. Methods. A multicenter study was conducted on 275 adult cases of avian (H7N9) and pandemic (H1N1pdm09) influenza. Host DNA was extracted from diagnostic respiratory samples; IFITM3 rs12252, TLR3 rs5743313, CD55 rs2564978, and TLR4 rs4986790/4986791 were targeted for genotyping (Sanger sequencing). The primary outcome analyzed was death. Results. IFITM3 and TLR3 SNPs were in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium; their allele frequencies (IFITM3/C-allele 0.56, TLR3/C-allele 0.88) were comparable to 1000 Genomes Han Chinese data. We found over-representation of homozygous IFITM3 CC (54.5% vs 33.2%; P = .02) and TLR3 CC (93.3% vs 76.9%; P = .04) genotypes among fatal cases. Recessive genetic models showed their significant independent associations with higher death risks (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 2.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.29–6.02, and aHR 4.85, 95% CI 1.11−21.06, respectively). Cumulative effects were found (aHR 3.53, 95% CI 1.64−7.59 per risk genotype; aHR 9.99, 95% CI 1.27−78.59 with both). Results were consistent for each influenza subtype and other severity indicators. The CD55 TT genotype was linked to severity. TLR4 was nonpolymorphic. Conclusions. Host genetic factors may influence clinical outcomes of avian and pandemic influenza infections. Such findings have important implications on disease burden and patient care in at-risk populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nelson Lee
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
| | - Bin Cao
- Centre for Respiratory Diseases, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, and National Clinical Research Centre for Respiratory Disease, Capital Medical University, Beijing
| | - Changwen Ke
- Institute of Pathogenic Microbiology, Guangdong Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou
| | - Hongzhou Lu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai
| | - Yunwen Hu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of the Ministries of Education, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University
| | - Claudia Ha Ting Tam
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
| | - Ronald Ching Wan Ma
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
| | - Dawei Guan
- Institute of Pathogenic Microbiology, Guangdong Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou
| | - Zhaoqin Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology of the Ministries of Education, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University
| | - Hui Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University
| | - Mulei Lin
- Southern Medical University, Guangzhou
| | - Rity Y K Wong
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
| | - Irene M H Yung
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
| | - Tin-Nok Hung
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, People's Republic of China
| | - Kirsty Kwok
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, People's Republic of China
| | - Peter Horby
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - David Shu Cheong Hui
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
| | - Martin Chi Wai Chan
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, People's Republic of China
| | - Paul Kay Sheung Chan
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Epidemiological, clinical, and virologic features of two family clusters of avian influenza A (H7N9) virus infections in Southeast China. Sci Rep 2017; 7:1512. [PMID: 28473725 PMCID: PMC5431426 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-01761-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2016] [Accepted: 04/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the epidemiological, clinical, and virologic characteristics of avian influenza A (H7N9) confirmed cases from two family clusters in Southeast China. Epidemiological data of the H7N9 confirmed cases and their close contacts were obtained through interviews and reviews of medical records. Of the four patients in these two family clusters, two cases had mild symptoms, one had severe symptoms, and one died. Three of the four patients had a history of exposure to live poultry or contaminated environments. The complete genome sequences of the H7N9 viruses from the same family cluster were highly homologous, and the four isolated viruses from the two family clusters exhibited the virologic features of the H7N9 virus, in terms of transmissibility, pathogenicity, host adaptation, and antiviral drug resistance. In addition, our findings indicated that the A/Fujian/18/2015 viral strain contained an additional hemagglutinin G225D substitution, which preferentially binds α2,6-linked sialic acids. The results of this study demonstrate that one family cluster was infected through common exposure to live poultry or contaminated environments, and the other was more likely to be infected through the human-to-human route.
Collapse
|