Publications by authors named "Helena A Laybourn"
Introduction: Influenza A virus (IAV) infection is a global respiratory disease, which annually leads to 3-5 million cases of severe illness, resulting in 290,000-650,000 deaths. Additionally, during the past century, four global IAV pandemics have claimed millions of human lives. The epithelial lining of the trachea plays a vital role during IAV infection, both as point of viral entry and replication as well as in the antiviral immune response.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Influenza A viruses can infect humans and pigs, with a notable pandemic caused by a specific H1N1 strain (H1N1pdm09) originating from pigs in 2009.
- The study examined how different variants of the H1N1pdm09 virus infected pigs and ferrets, finding that the pre-pandemic variant caused the most severe disease in both species, while the swine-adapted variant had the highest viral load but less impact on health.
- Aerosol transmission of the swine-adapted virus was notably effective, affecting two-thirds of ferrets, highlighting the need for further research on potential human-to-human spread of these adapted strains.