title: Seasonal influenza virus strains circulating in Malaysia from 2005 to 2009.
abstract: From 2005 to 2009, the Institute for Medical Research (IMR), Kuala Lumpur received a total of 7,117 respiratory specimens from patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) for influenza screening. Seasonal influenza virus was isolated from 17.3% of patients with ILI in 2005, 31.6% in 2006, 12.8% in 2007, 10.2% in 2008 and 13.5% in 2009. There were one or more influenza A and B virus strains circulating in Malaysia throughout the year, with distinctly a peak in May to August. The predominant circulating strains of seasonal influenza A were A/California/7/2004-like (H3N2) in 2005, A/New Caledonia/20/99-like (H1N1) in 2006, A/ Brisbane/10/2007-like (H3N2) in 2007 and 2008, and A/Perth/16/2009-like (H3N2) virus in 2009. The predominant circulating strains of influenza B were B/Hong Kong/330/2001-like in 2005, B/Malaysia/2506/2004-like in 2006, B/Florida/4/2006-like in 2007 and 2008, and B/Brisbane/60/2008-like in 2009.
authors.affiliation: Virology Unit, Infectious Disease Research Centre, Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. zainah@imr.gov.my
authors.forename: Zainah
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Saat
authors.forename: Tg Rogayah Tg
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Abdul Rashid
authors.forename: Mohd Apandi
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Yusof
authors.forename: Fauziah M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Kassim
authors.forename: Ravindran
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Thayan
authors.forename: Lau Sau
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Kuen
authors.forename: Khairul Azuan
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Othman
authors.forename: T S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Saraswathy
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D009981:Influenza B virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance