Reinfection with influenza B virus in children: analysis of the reinfection influenza B viruses.
Influenza B virus reinfection in Japanese children was studied epidemiologically during 1979-91 and virologically during 1985-91. During this investigation, there were four epidemics caused by influenza B viruses, each of which accompanied antigenic drift. Between the epidemics in 1987/88 and 1989/90, the viruses changed drastically, both genetically and antigenically. The minimum rate of reinfection with influenza B virus during the whole period was 3-25% depending on the influenza seasons. The antigens of primary and reinfection strains of influenza B virus isolated from 18 children during 1985-90, which covered three epidemic periods, were studied by haemagglutination inhibition tests. The results showed that the viruses isolated in the 1984/85 and 1987/88 influenza seasons, which belonged to the same lineage, were antigenically close, and reinfection occurred with these viruses. The results of amino-acid analysis of the HA1 polypeptide of these viruses corresponded with those of antigenic analysis. There were no specific amino-acid changes shared by the primary infection and reinfection influenza B viruses; the patients were infected with the viruses epidemic at that time.
Nakajima
S
S
Institute of Public Health, Tokyo, Japan.
Nishikawa
F
F
Nakamura
K
K
Nakao
H
H
Nakajima
K
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000940:Antigenic Variation; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D001483:Base Sequence; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D006385:Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests; D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009981:Influenza B virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012008:Recurrence
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D017931:DNA Primers; D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral