Fingerprinting a killer: surveillance of the influenza virus by mass spectrometry.
Influenza is a deadly virus that continues to kill and inflict illness and suffering the world over. Despite a global surveillance strategy, an annual response to vaccine preparation and the development of new anti-viral drugs to treat the virus ahead of, or after, infection, no cure exists. Future pandemics are a very real threat and countries have mobilised efforts to stockpile treatments and prepare for outbreaks. A new surveillance approach in which the structure and antigenicity of the virus can be rapidly screened by mass spectrometry is expected to have a greater role in the characterisation of emerging influenza strains, even at the site of an outbreak.
Downard
Kevin M
KM
School of Molecular & Microbial Biosciences G-08, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. kdownard@usyd.edu.au
Morrissey
Bethny
B
D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D009975:Orthomyxoviridae / Q000276:immunology*; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization; D014944:World Health Organization
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D007252:Influenza Vaccines