H9N2 Influenza Virus in China: a Cause of Concern

Overview

Journal Protein Cell

Publisher Oxford University Press

Specialties Biochemistry
Cell Biology

Date 2014 Nov 12

PMID 25384439

Citations 119

Authors

Yipeng Sun

Jinhua Liu

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The recent human infection with avian influenza virus revealed that H9N2 influenza virus is the gene donor for H7N9 and H10N8 viruses infecting humans. The crucial role of H9N2 viruses at the animal-human interface might be due to the wide host range, adaptation in both poultry and mammalian, and extensive gene reassortment. As the most prevalent subtype of influenza viruses in chickens in China, H9N2 also causes a great economic loss for the poultry industry, even under the long-term vaccination programs. The history, epidemiology, biological characteristics, and molecular determinants of H9N2 influenza virus are reviewed in this paper. The contribution of H9N2 genes, especially RNP genes, to the infection of humans needs to be investigated in the future.

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