title: Discordant correlation between serological assays observed when measuring heterosubtypic responses against avian influenza H5 and H7 viruses in unexposed individuals.
abstract: The human population is constantly exposed to multiple influenza A subtypes due to zoonotic spillover and rapid viral evolution driven by intrinsic error-prone replication and immunological pressure. In this context, antibody responses directed against the HA protein are of importance since they have been shown to correlate with protective immunity. Serological techniques, detecting these responses, play a critical role for influenza surveillance, vaccine development, and assessment. As the recent human pandemics and avian influenza outbreaks have demonstrated, there is an urgent need to be better prepared to assess the contribution of the antibody response to protection against newly emerged viruses and to evaluate the extent of preexisting heterosubtypic immunity in populations. In this study, 68 serum samples collected from the Italian population between 1992 and 2007 were found to be positive for antibodies against H5N1 as determined by single radial hemolysis (SRH), but most were negative when evaluated using haemagglutination inhibition (HI) and microneutralisation (MN) assays. As a result of these discordant serological findings, the increased sensitivity of lentiviral pseudotypes was exploited in pseudotype-based neutralisation (pp-NT) assays and the results obtained provide further insight into the complex nature of humoral immunity against influenza A viruses.
authors.affiliation: Viral Pseudotype Unit, Medway School of Pharmacy, University of Kent, Central Avenue, Chatham Maritime, Chatham ME4 4TB, UK.
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8561-9966
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Molesti
authors.affiliation: Viral Pseudotype Unit, Medway School of Pharmacy, University of Kent, Central Avenue, Chatham Maritime, Chatham ME4 4TB, UK.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4973-1520
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ferrara
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro 3, 53100 Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lapini
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena, Via Aldo Moro 3, 53100 Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Montomoli
authors.affiliation: Viral Pseudotype Unit, Medway School of Pharmacy, University of Kent, Central Avenue, Chatham Maritime, Chatham ME4 4TB, UK.
authors.forename: Nigel
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7978-3815
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Temperton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001717:Birds / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D056724:Immunity, Humoral; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D053124:Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral