Evolutionary consequences of a decade of vaccination against subtype H6N2 influenza
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Date
Authors
Rauff, Dionne
Strydom, Christine
Abolnik, Celia
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier
Abstract
The evolutionary dynamics of chicken-origin H6N2 viruses isolated in South Africa between 2002 and 2013
were investigated. Sub-lineages I and II continued to co-circulate under vaccination pressure, but sublineage
I, from which the inactivated vaccine was derived, displayed a markedly higher mutation rate and a
three-fold increase in the emergence of potential antigenic sites on the globular head of HA compared to
sub-lineage II. Immunological pressure culminated in a critical phenotypic change as four of the five
isolates from 2012-2013 had lost the ability to haemagglutinate chicken erythrocytes, correlating with a
pattern of predicted O-glycosylation sites at residues 134, 137 and 141 within the critical 130 loop of the
receptor binding domain site. Coassortment of the HA, NA and M genes in the respective sub-lineages
contrasted reassortment of the other internal protein genes, and the vaccine seed strain itself was the
probable donor of segments to sub-lineage II field strains.
Description
Keywords
Avian influenza, H6N2, Glycosylation, Reassortment, Coassortment, Genetic drift, Vaccines
Sustainable Development Goals
Citation
Rauff, D, Strydom, C & Abolnik, C 2016, 'Evolutionary consequences of a decade of vaccination against subtype H6N2 influenza', Virology, vol. 498, pp. 226-239.