Literature detail

Contemporary North American influenza H7 viruses possess human receptor specificity: Implications for virus transmissibility.

Jessica A Belser¹ Ola Blixt Li-Mei Chen Claudia Pappas Taronna R Maines Neal Van Hoeven Ruben Donis Julia Busch Ryan McBride James C Paulson Jacqueline M Katz Terrence M Tumpey

Affiliations 1 institutions

Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.

PMID 18508975 2008 Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A eng ppublish

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Article

Publication summary

Avian H7 influenza viruses from both the Eurasian and North American lineage have caused outbreaks in poultry since 2002, with confirmed human infection occurring during outbreaks in The Netherlands, British Columbia, and the United Kingdom. The majority of H7 infections have resulted in self-limiting conjunctivitis, whereas probable human-to-human transmission has been rare. Here, we used glycan microarray technology to determine the receptor-binding preference of Eurasian and North American lineage H7 influenza viruses and their transmissibility in the ferret model. We found that highly pathogenic H7N7 viruses from The Netherlands in 2003 maintained the classic avian-binding preference for alpha2-3-linked sialic acids (SA) and are not readily transmissible in ferrets, as observed previously for highly pathogenic H5N1 viruses. However, H7N3 viruses isolated from Canada in 2004 and H7N2 viruses from the northeastern United States isolated in 2002-2003 possessed an HA with increased affinity toward alpha2-6-linked SA, the linkage type found prominently on human tracheal epithelial cells. We identified a low pathogenic H7N2 virus isolated from a man in New York in 2003, A/NY/107/03, which replicated efficiently in the upper respiratory tract of ferrets and was capable of transmission in this species by direct contact. These results indicate that H7 influenza viruses from the North American lineage have acquired sialic acid-binding properties that more closely resemble those of human influenza viruses and have the potential to spread to naïve animals.

Virus Attachment Animals Disease Models, Animal Ferrets Hemagglutination Tests Humans Influenza A Virus, H7N7 Subtype Influenza in Birds Influenza, Human Male Microarray Analysis N-Acetylneuraminic Acid Polysaccharides Poultry Receptors, Virus Virus Replication

Structured evidence records

Evidence records

11 total

Host Range Experiment 3 records

Host Range Experiment Extraction confidence 0.95

Key finding

Experimental infection of ferrets with the H7N2 virus A/NY/107/03 demonstrated efficient replication in the upper respiratory tract and transmission by direct contact.

Virus

Host

Location

Supporting text

We identified a low pathogenic H7N2 virus isolated from a man in New York in 2003, A/NY/107/03, which replicated efficiently in the upper respiratory tract of ferrets and was capable of transmission in this species by direct contact.

Method: experimental infection; replication assay; transmission study
Sample type: upper respiratory tract
Experimental system: in vivo animal experiment

Host Range Experiment Extraction confidence 0.90

Key finding

Glycan microarray assays showed that North American H7N3 and H7N2 viruses possess hemagglutinins with increased affinity toward alpha2-6-linked sialic acids typical of human receptors.

Virus

Host

Location

Supporting text

We used glycan microarray technology to determine the receptor-binding preference of Eurasian and North American lineage H7 influenza viruses.

Method: glycan microarray assay; receptor-binding assay
Experimental system: in vitro cell-culture assay

Host Range Experiment Extraction confidence 0.90

Key finding

Ferret model experiments showed that H7N7 viruses retain alpha2-3 sialic acid binding and are not transmissible in ferrets.

Virus

Host

Location

Supporting text

Highly pathogenic H7N7 viruses from The Netherlands in 2003 maintained the classic avian-binding preference for alpha2-3-linked sialic acids and are not readily transmissible in ferrets.

Method: transmission experiment; receptor-binding assay
Experimental system: in vivo animal experiment

Molecular Adaptation 3 records

Molecular Adaptation Extraction confidence 0.93

Key finding

North American H7N2 and H7N3 influenza viruses exhibit hemagglutinin adaptations conferring human-type (alpha2-6) sialic acid receptor binding, indicating molecular adaptation toward mammalian hosts.

Virus

Host

Location

Supporting text

H7N3 viruses isolated from Canada in 2004 and H7N2 viruses from the northeastern United States isolated in 2002-2003 possessed an HA with increased affinity toward alpha2-6-linked SA, the linkage type found prominently on human tracheal epithelial cells.

Genes or proteins: HA
Receptors: alpha2-6-linked sialic acid
Mechanism types: receptor_binding

Molecular Adaptation Extraction confidence 0.93

Key finding

North American H7N3 influenza viruses display hemagglutinin alterations favoring human-type receptor binding, suggesting an adaptive shift toward mammalian receptor usage.

Virus

Host

Location

Supporting text

Genes or proteins: HA
Receptors: alpha2-6-linked sialic acid
Mechanism types: receptor_binding

Molecular Adaptation Extraction confidence 0.90

Key finding

Eurasian H7N7 influenza viruses retain avian-type (alpha2-3) sialic acid receptor specificity, showing no adaptation toward human receptor usage.

Virus

Host

Location

Supporting text

Highly pathogenic H7N7 viruses from The Netherlands in 2003 maintained the classic avian-binding preference for alpha2-3-linked sialic acids (SA) and are not readily transmissible in ferrets.

Genes or proteins: HA
Receptors: alpha2-3-linked sialic acid
Mechanism types: receptor_binding

Spillover Event 3 records

Spillover Event Extraction confidence 0.90

Key finding

Human infections with avian H7 influenza viruses occurred during poultry outbreaks, indicating documented animal-to-human spillover.

Virus

Host

Location

Supporting text

Study design: outbreak investigation
Transmission direction: animal-to-human
Geographic raw: The Netherlands
Country inferred: Netherlands

Spillover Event Extraction confidence 0.90

Key finding

Human infections with avian H7 influenza viruses occurred during poultry outbreaks, indicating documented animal-to-human spillover.

Virus

Host

Location

Supporting text

Study design: outbreak investigation
Transmission direction: animal-to-human
Geographic raw: British Columbia
Country inferred: Canada

Spillover Event Extraction confidence 0.90

Key finding

Human infections with avian H7 influenza viruses occurred during poultry outbreaks, indicating documented animal-to-human spillover.

Virus

Host

Location

Supporting text

Study design: outbreak investigation
Transmission direction: animal-to-human
Geographic raw: United Kingdom
Country inferred: United Kingdom

Receptor Usage 2 records

Receptor Usage Extraction confidence 0.98

Key finding

North American H7N3 and H7N2 influenza viruses exhibited enhanced receptor binding to human-type alpha2-6-linked sialic acids.

Virus

Host

Location

Supporting text

Method: glycan microarray technology
Receptors: alpha2-6-linked sialic acid

Receptor Usage Extraction confidence 0.98

Key finding

Eurasian H7N7 influenza viruses retained avian-type alpha2-3-linked sialic acid receptor binding preference.

Virus

Host

Location

Supporting text

Highly pathogenic H7N7 viruses from The Netherlands in 2003 maintained the classic avian-binding preference for alpha2-3-linked sialic acids (SA) and are not readily transmissible in ferrets.

Method: glycan microarray technology
Receptors: alpha2-3-linked sialic acid

Citation context

References

57 references

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Evidence overview

Evidence 11

Types 4

Virus 4

Host 3

Evidence types

Host Range Experiment 3 Molecular Adaptation 3 Spillover Event 3 Receptor Usage 2

Linked entities

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Publication metadata

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume / Issue / Pages: 105 / 21 / 7558-63
ISSN: 1091-6490
Journal country: United States
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0801259105