TY - JOUR
T1 - Molecular characterization of influenza B viruses circulating in Northern Italy during the 2001-2002 epidemic season
AU - Ansaldi, Filippo
AU - D'Agaro, Pierlanfranco
AU - De Florentiis, Daniela
AU - Puzelli, Simona
AU - Lin, Yi Pu
AU - Gregory, Victoria
AU - Bennett, Michael
AU - Donatelli, Isabella
AU - Gasparini, Roberto
AU - Crovari, Pietro
AU - Hay, Alan
AU - Campello, Cesare
PY - 2003/7/1
Y1 - 2003/7/1
N2 - During the 2001-2002 influenza season, virological surveillance highlighted the predominant circulation of B viruses (86% of isolates) in Italy, in contrast to many other countries in Europe and North America where AH3N2 viruses were isolated most frequently, and in contrast to the infrequent isolation of B viruses in Italy during the previous two years. Associated with this predominance of influenza B was the re-emergence of B/Victoria/2/87-lineage viruses, closely related to B viruses prevalent during the 1980s, which are distinct antigenically and genetically from circulating B/Sichuan/379/99-like viruses of the B/Yamagata/16/88 lineage, which predominated in most parts of the world during the last 10 years. Ninety-four viruses isolated in two regions of northern Italy were characterized, 50 by direct sequencing of haemagglutinin (HA). Viruses of both Victoria and Yamagata lineages co-circulated throughout the 12 weeks of the influenza season. The HAs of the Yamagata lineage viruses were heterogeneous and comprised two sublineages, represented by B/Sichuan/379/99 and B/Harbin/7/94, whereas the Victoria-lineage viruses were more homogeneous and closely related to B/Hong Kong/330/ 01, the current prototype vaccine strain. The antigenic and genetic characteristics of the viruses correlated with certain epidemiological features. In particular, the low age (
AB - During the 2001-2002 influenza season, virological surveillance highlighted the predominant circulation of B viruses (86% of isolates) in Italy, in contrast to many other countries in Europe and North America where AH3N2 viruses were isolated most frequently, and in contrast to the infrequent isolation of B viruses in Italy during the previous two years. Associated with this predominance of influenza B was the re-emergence of B/Victoria/2/87-lineage viruses, closely related to B viruses prevalent during the 1980s, which are distinct antigenically and genetically from circulating B/Sichuan/379/99-like viruses of the B/Yamagata/16/88 lineage, which predominated in most parts of the world during the last 10 years. Ninety-four viruses isolated in two regions of northern Italy were characterized, 50 by direct sequencing of haemagglutinin (HA). Viruses of both Victoria and Yamagata lineages co-circulated throughout the 12 weeks of the influenza season. The HAs of the Yamagata lineage viruses were heterogeneous and comprised two sublineages, represented by B/Sichuan/379/99 and B/Harbin/7/94, whereas the Victoria-lineage viruses were more homogeneous and closely related to B/Hong Kong/330/ 01, the current prototype vaccine strain. The antigenic and genetic characteristics of the viruses correlated with certain epidemiological features. In particular, the low age (
KW - Haemagglutinin
KW - Influenza B virus
KW - Molecular epidemiology
KW - Sequence analysis
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U2 - 10.1002/jmv.10418
DO - 10.1002/jmv.10418
M3 - Article
C2 - 12767012
AN - SCOPUS:0038700515
VL - 70
SP - 463
EP - 469
JO - Journal of Medical Virology
JF - Journal of Medical Virology
SN - 0146-6615
IS - 3
ER -