Pandemic potential of avian influenza A (H7N9) viruses

Tokiko Watanabe ^[1] ; Shinji Watanabe ^[2] ; Eileen A. Maher ^[3] ; Gabriele Neumann ^[3] ; Yoshihiro Kawaoka ^[1]
1. [1] University of Tokyo
  
  University of Tokyo
  
  Japón
2. [2] University of Miyazaki
  
  University of Miyazaki
  
  Japón
3. [3] University of Wisconsin–Madison
  
  University of Wisconsin–Madison
  
  City of Madison, Estados Unidos
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Localización: Trends in microbiology, ISSN 0966-842X, Vol. 22, Nº. 11, 2014, págs. 623-631
Idioma: inglés
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Resumen
- Avian influenza viruses rarely infect humans, but the recently emerged avian H7N9 influenza viruses have caused sporadic infections in humans in China, resulting in 440 confirmed cases with 122 fatalities as of 16 May 2014. In addition, epidemiologic surveys suggest that there have been asymptomatic or mild human infections with H7N9 viruses. These viruses replicate efficiently in mammals, show limited transmissibility in ferrets and guinea pigs, and possess mammalian-adapting amino acid changes that likely contribute to their ability to infect mammals. In this review, we summarize the characteristic features of the novel H7N9 viruses and assess their pandemic potential.