Surveillance of autopsy cases for D222G substitutions in haemagglutinin of the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus in Alberta, Canada.
Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus-positive specimens were collected from autopsy patients and matched to pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus-positive nasopharyngeal specimens from community control patients and pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus-positive specimens from intensive-care unit (ICU) patients. Specimens were analysed for polymorphisms at amino acid 222 of the haemagglutinin (HA) glycoprotein. Whereas some specimens from autopsy patients were positive for D222N, none was positive for D222G. All control patient specimens were wild-type D222. D222G polymorphisms were also identified in a subset of ICU patients with admixtures of D222G and D222 and of D222N, D222G and D222 present. The relevance of D222N and D222G to influenza pathogenesis and transmissibility currently remains unclear.
Drews
S J
SJ
Provincial Laboratory for Public Health Microbiology, Calgary Site, Calgary, AB, Canada. Steven.Drews@albertahealthservices.ca
Pabbaraju
K
K
Wong
S
S
Tokaryk
K L
KL
May-Hadford
J
J
Lee
B
B
Tellier
R
R
Louie
M
M
D000416:Alberta; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution / Q000235:genetics*; D001344:Autopsy; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000401:mortality / Q000821:virology*; D050505:Mutant Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D020125:Mutation, Missense; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics
D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus; D050505:Mutant Proteins; D012367:RNA, Viral; C483468:hemagglutinin, human influenza A virus