Outbreak of Influenza A (H3N2) Variant Virus Infection Among Attendees of an Agricultural Fair, Pennsylvania, USA, 2011

Overview

Journal Emerg Infect Dis

Specialty Infectious Diseases

Date 2012 Nov 23

PMID 23171635

Citations 42

Authors

Karen K Wong

Adena Greenbaum

Maria E Moll

James Lando

Erin L Moore

Rahul Ganatra

Matthew Biggerstaff

Eugene Lam

Erica E Smith

Aaron D Storms

Jeffrey R Miller

Virginia Dato

Kumar Nalluswami

Atmaram Nambiar

Sharon A Silvestri

James R Lute

Stephen Ostroff

Kathy Hancock

Alicia Branch

Susan C Trock

Alexander Klimov

Bo Shu

Lynnette Brammer

Scott Epperson

Lyn Finelli

Michael A Jhung

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

During August 2011, influenza A (H3N2) variant [A(H3N2)v] virus infection developed in a child who attended an agricultural fair in Pennsylvania, USA; the virus resulted from reassortment of a swine influenza virus with influenza A(H1N1)pdm09. We interviewed fair attendees and conducted a retrospective cohort study among members of an agricultural club who attended the fair. Probable and confirmed cases of A(H3N2)v virus infection were defined by serology and genomic sequencing results, respectively. We identified 82 suspected, 4 probable, and 3 confirmed case-patients who attended the fair. Among 127 cohort study members, the risk for suspected case status increased as swine exposure increased from none (4%; referent) to visiting swine exhibits (8%; relative risk 2.1; 95% CI 0.2-53.4) to touching swine (16%; relative risk 4.4; 95% CI 0.8-116.3). Fairs may be venues for zoonotic transmission of viruses with epidemic potential; thus, health officials should investigate respiratory illness outbreaks associated with agricultural events.

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