title: Role of H7 hemagglutinin in murine infectivity of influenza viruses following ocular inoculation.
abstract: H7 subtype influenza viruses have demonstrated an ocular tropism in humans, causing conjunctivitis and not respiratory symptoms in many infected individuals. However, the molecular determinants which confer ocular tropism are still poorly understood. Here, we used a murine model of ocular inoculation to demonstrate that H7 influenza viruses are more likely to cause infection following ocular exposure than are non-H7 subtype viruses. We included investigation regarding the potential role of several properties of influenza viruses with murine infectivity following ocular inoculation, including virus lineage, pathogenicity, and HA cleavage site composition. Furthermore, we examined the potential contribution of internal proteins to murine ocular infectivity. These studies establish a link between H7 subtype viruses and the risk of heightened infectivity in a mammalian species following ocular exposure, and support the development of non-traditional inoculation methods and models to best understand the human risk posed by influenza viruses of all subtypes.
authors.affiliation: Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, United States. Electronic address: jbelser@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Jessica A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Belser
authors.affiliation: Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, United States.
authors.forename: Xiangjie
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, United States; Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30333, United States.
authors.forename: Hannah M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Creager
authors.affiliation: Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, United States.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, United States.
authors.forename: Callie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ridenour
authors.affiliation: Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, United States.
authors.forename: Li-Mei
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, United States.
authors.forename: Terrence M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Tumpey
authors.affiliation: Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, United States.
authors.forename: Taronna R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Maines
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005123:Eye / Q000821:virology*; D015828:Eye Infections, Viral / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000821:virology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D056189:Viral Tropism; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus; C109963:hemagglutinin, avian influenza A virus
keywords: Conjunctivitis; Influenza; Mouse model; Ocular; Tropism