title: Genetics, evolution, and the zoonotic capacity of European Swine influenza viruses.
abstract: The European swine influenza virus lineage differs genetically from the classical swine influenza viruses and the triple reassortants found in North America and Asia. The avian-like swine H1N1 viruses emerged in 1979 after an avian-to-swine transmission and spread to all major European pig-producing countries. Reassortment of these viruses with seasonal H3N2 viruses led to human-like swine H3N2 viruses which appeared in 1984. Finally, human-like swine H1N2 viruses emerged in 1994. These are triple reassortants comprising genes of avian-like H1N1, seasonal H1N1, and seasonal H3N2 viruses. All three subtypes established persistent infection chains and became prevalent in the European pig population. They successively replaced the circulating classical swine H1N1 viruses of that time and gave rise to a number of reassortant viruses including the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus. All three European lineages have the capacity to infect humans but zoonotic infections are benign.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology and Antiviral Therapy, Jena University Hospital, Friedrich Schiller University, Germany. roland.zell@med.uni-jena.de
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zell
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Scholtissek
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ludwig
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype / Q000235:genetics; D053122:Influenza A Virus, H3N2 Subtype / Q000235:genetics; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D009975:Orthomyxoviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D009976:Orthomyxoviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*