Hydrophobic inactivation of influenza viruses confers preservation of viral structure with enhanced immunogenicity.

The use of inactivated influenza virus for the development of vaccines with broad heterosubtypic protection requires selective inactivation techniques that eliminate viral infectivity while preserving structural integrity. Here we tested if a hydrophobic inactivation approach reported for retroviruses could be applied to the influenza virus. By this approach, the transmembrane domains of viral envelope proteins are selectively targeted by the hydrophobic photoactivatable compound 1,5-iodonaphthyl-azide (INA).

Emergence of influenza A virus variants after prolonged shedding from pheasants.

We previously demonstrated the susceptibility of pheasants to infection with influenza A viruses of 15 hemagglutinin (HA) subtypes: 13/23 viruses tested were isolated for >or=14 days, all in the presence of serum-neutralizing antibodies; one virus (H10) was shed for 45 days postinfection. Here we confirmed that 20% of pheasants shed low-pathogenic influenza viruses for prolonged periods. We aimed to determine why the antibody response did not clear the virus in the usual 3 to 10 days, because pheasants serve as a long-term source of influenza viruses in poultry markets.

The polymerase complex genes contribute to the high virulence of the human H5N1 influenza virus isolate A/Vietnam/1203/04.

H5N1 influenza viruses transmitted from poultry to humans in Asia cause high mortality and pose a pandemic threat. Viral genes important for cell tropism and replication efficiency must be identified to elucidate and target virulence factors. We applied reverse genetics to generate H5N1 reassortants combining genes of lethal A/Vietnam/1203/04 (VN1203), a fatal human case isolate, and nonlethal A/chicken/Vietnam/C58/04 (CH58) and tested their pathogenicity in ferrets and mice.

Comparison of the replication of influenza A viruses in Chinese ring-necked pheasants and chukar partridges.

We investigated the replication and transmission of avian influenza A viruses in two species thought to be intermediate hosts in the spread of influenza A viruses in live poultry markets: Chinese ring-necked pheasants and chukar partridges. All 15 hemagglutinin subtypes replicated in pheasants, and most subtypes transmitted to naïve contact pheasants, primarily via the fecal-oral route. Many viruses were shed from the gastrointestinal tract of experimentally inoculated pheasants for 14 days or longer.

Preparation of a standardized, efficacious agricultural H5N3 vaccine by reverse genetics.

Options for the control of emerging and reemerging H5N1 influenza viruses include improvements in biosecurity and the use of inactivated vaccines. Commercially available H5N2 influenza vaccine prevents disease signs and reduces virus load but does not completely prevent virus shedding after challenge with H5N1 virus. By using reverse genetics, we prepared an H5N3 vaccine whose hemagglutinin is 99.

Detection of infectious laryngotracheitis virus in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues by nested polymerase chain reaction.

Infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) is routinely diagnosed by histopathologic examination of trachea, eyelid, and lung tissues. Lesions consistent with infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) infection include syncytial cell formation with intranuclear inclusion bodies. These changes are present during the acute phase of infection.