scholarly journals Swine influenza: Newer data on diagnosis, interpretation of the results, and control

2021 ◽  
Vol 77 (02) ◽  
pp. 6506-2021
Author(s):  
ZYGMUNT PEJSAK ◽  
KAZIMIERZ TARASIUK

Influenza viruses are among the major causes of acute respiratory disease outbreaks in pigs. In most cases, infections are subclinical. Until 2009, three subtypes of IAV-S circulated in the pig population in Europe, with some geographical restrictions regarding their prevalence: avian-like (av) H1N1, reassortant (r) H3N2, and human (hu) H1N2. Viruses of the H1N1av lineage appeared to be responsible for the majority of swine infections in Europe. In 2009, a fourth subtype entered the pig population: the human pandemic H1N1 2009 influenza A virus (H1N1pdm). Due to the expression of receptors with α-2-6 or α-2-3-linked terminal sialic acids in the porcine upper respiratory tract, swine appear to be susceptible to influenza A viruses of both avian and human origin. A clinical diagnosis of swine influenza is not easy, since there are no observable pathognomonic clinical signs, and the disease must be distinguished from a variety of other respiratory conditions in pigs. A final diagnosis can be made by the following methods: detection of viral proteins or nucleic acid, isolation of virus, or demonstration of virus-specific antibodies. IAV-S is most likely to be found in nasal and pharyngeal secretions during the fever period of illness. Serological tests are used to demonstrate the presence of influenza-specific antibodies. Serology is the most useful technique to determine the immune status of the herd, to assess the levels of maternally derived antibodies in young piglets and their profile, as well as post-vaccination antibody titers, and to perform pre-movement testing of pigs. The interpretation of serological data is often complex and may be further confounded by concurrent circulation of different virus subtypes and gene lineages. In control of IAV-S, vaccination appears to be the primary tool for preventing influenza. The efficacy of vaccination may be various and is correlated with homology between vaccine and field IAV-S strains. There is no treatment available for IAV-S. The administration of aspirin via the water system or of paracetamol in feed may play a role as a support therapy. To avoid subsequent bacterial infections, treatment with an antibiotic is essential.

2010 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjun Ma ◽  
Jürgen A. Richt

AbstractSwine influenza is an important contagious disease in pigs caused by influenza A viruses. Although only three subtypes of influenza A viruses, H1N1, H1N2 and H3N2, predominantly infect pigs worldwide, it is still a big challenge for vaccine manufacturers to produce efficacious vaccines for the prevention and control of swine influenza. Swine influenza viruses not only cause significant economic losses for the swine industry, but are also important zoonotic pathogens. Vaccination is still one of the most important and effective strategies to prevent and control influenza for both the animal and human population. In this review, we will discuss the current status of swine influenza worldwide as well as current and future options to control this economically important swine disease.


Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 815
Author(s):  
Cindy M. Spruit ◽  
Nikoloz Nemanichvili ◽  
Masatoshi Okamatsu ◽  
Hiromu Takematsu ◽  
Geert-Jan Boons ◽  
...  

The first step in influenza virus infection is the binding of hemagglutinin to sialic acid-containing glycans present on the cell surface. Over 50 different sialic acid modifications are known, of which N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) and N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) are the two main species. Animal models with α2,6 linked Neu5Ac in the upper respiratory tract, similar to humans, are preferred to enable and mimic infection with unadapted human influenza A viruses. Animal models that are currently most often used to study human influenza are mice and ferrets. Additionally, guinea pigs, cotton rats, Syrian hamsters, tree shrews, domestic swine, and non-human primates (macaques and marmosets) are discussed. The presence of NeuGc and the distribution of sialic acid linkages in the most commonly used models is summarized and experimentally determined. We also evaluated the role of Neu5Gc in infection using Neu5Gc binding viruses and cytidine monophosphate-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase (CMAH)-/- knockout mice, which lack Neu5Gc and concluded that Neu5Gc is unlikely to be a decoy receptor. This article provides a base for choosing an appropriate animal model. Although mice are one of the most favored models, they are hardly naturally susceptible to infection with human influenza viruses, possibly because they express mainly α2,3 linked sialic acids with both Neu5Ac and Neu5Gc modifications. We suggest using ferrets, which resemble humans closely in the sialic acid content, both in the linkages and the lack of Neu5Gc, lung organization, susceptibility, and disease pathogenesis.


2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 1037-1045 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brigitte E. Martin ◽  
Andrew S. Bowman ◽  
Lei Li ◽  
Jacqueline M. Nolting ◽  
David R. Smith ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT A large population of genetically and antigenically diverse influenza A viruses (IAVs) are circulating among the swine population, playing an important role in influenza ecology. Swine IAVs not only cause outbreaks among swine but also can be transmitted to humans, causing sporadic infections and even pandemic outbreaks. Antigenic characterizations of swine IAVs are key to understanding the natural history of these viruses in swine and to selecting strains for effective vaccines. However, influenza outbreaks generally spread rapidly among swine, and the conventional methods for antigenic characterization require virus propagation, a time-consuming process that can significantly reduce the effectiveness of vaccination programs. We developed and validated a rapid, sensitive, and robust method, the polyclonal serum-based proximity ligation assay (polyPLA), to identify antigenic variants of subtype H3N2 swine IAVs. This method utilizes oligonucleotide-conjugated polyclonal antibodies and quantifies antibody-antigen binding affinities by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR). Results showed the assay can rapidly detect H3N2 IAVs directly from nasal wash or nasal swab samples collected from laboratory-challenged animals or during influenza surveillance at county fairs. In addition, polyPLA can accurately separate the viruses at two contemporary swine IAV antigenic clusters (H3N2 swine IAV-α and H3N2 swine IAV-ß) with a sensitivity of 84.9% and a specificity of 100.0%. The polyPLA can be routinely used in surveillance programs to detect antigenic variants of influenza viruses and to select vaccine strains for use in controlling and preventing disease in swine.


2018 ◽  
Vol 92 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Y. K. Wong ◽  
Celeste Donato ◽  
Yi-Mo Deng ◽  
Don Teng ◽  
Naomi Komadina ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTGlobal swine populations infected with influenza A viruses pose a persistent pandemic risk. With the exception of a few countries, our understanding of the genetic diversity of swine influenza viruses is limited, hampering control measures and pandemic risk assessment. Here we report the genomic characteristics and evolutionary history of influenza A viruses isolated in Australia from 2012 to 2016 from two geographically isolated swine populations in the states of Queensland and Western Australia. Phylogenetic analysis with an expansive human and swine influenza virus data set comprising >40,000 sequences sampled globally revealed evidence of the pervasive introduction and long-term establishment of gene segments derived from several human influenza viruses of past seasons, including the H1N1/1977, H1N1/1995, H3N2/1968, and H3N2/2003, and the H1N1 2009 pandemic (H1N1pdm09) influenza A viruses, and a genotype that contained gene segments derived from the past three pandemics (1968, reemerged 1977, and 2009). Of the six human-derived gene lineages, only one, comprising two viruses isolated in Queensland during 2012, was closely related to swine viruses detected from other regions, indicating a previously undetected circulation of Australian swine lineages for approximately 3 to 44 years. Although the date of introduction of these lineages into Australian swine populations could not be accurately ascertained, we found evidence of sustained transmission of two lineages in swine from 2012 to 2016. The continued detection of human-origin influenza virus lineages in swine over several decades with little or unpredictable antigenic drift indicates that isolated swine populations can act as antigenic archives of human influenza viruses, raising the risk of reemergence in humans when sufficient susceptible populations arise.IMPORTANCEWe describe the evolutionary origins and antigenic properties of influenza A viruses isolated from two separate Australian swine populations from 2012 to 2016, showing that these viruses are distinct from each other and from those isolated from swine globally. Whole-genome sequencing of virus isolates revealed a high genotypic diversity that had been generated exclusively through the introduction and establishment of human influenza viruses that circulated in past seasons. We detected six reassortants with gene segments derived from human H1N1/H1N1pdm09 and various human H3N2 viruses that circulated during various periods since 1968. We also found that these swine viruses were not related to swine viruses collected elsewhere, indicating independent circulation. The detection of unique lineages and genotypes in Australia suggests that isolated swine populations that are sufficiently large can sustain influenza virus for extensive periods; we show direct evidence of a sustained transmission for at least 4 years between 2012 and 2016.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 96 ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. Smith ◽  
Ian G. Barr ◽  
Richmond Loh ◽  
Avram Levy ◽  
Simone Tempone ◽  
...  

Australia was previously believed to be free of enzootic swine influenza viruses due strict quarantine practices and use of biosecure breeding facilities. The first proven Australian outbreak of swine influenza occurred in Western Australian in 2012, revealing an unrecognized zoonotic risk, and a potential future pandemic threat. A public health investigation was undertaken to determine whether zoonotic infections had occurred and to reduce the risk of further transmission between humans and swine. A program of monitoring, testing, treatment, and vaccination was commenced, and a serosurvey of workers was also undertaken. No acute infections with the swine influenza viruses were detected. Serosurvey results were difficult to interpret due to previous influenza infections and past and current vaccinations. However, several workers had elevated haemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody levels to the swine influenza viruses that could not be attributed to vaccination or infection with contemporaneous seasonal influenza A viruses. However, we lacked a suitable control population, so this was inconclusive. The experience was valuable in developing better protocols for managing outbreaks at the human–animal interface. Strict adherence to biosecurity practices, and ongoing monitoring of swine and their human contacts is important to mitigate pandemic risk. Strain specific serological assays would greatly assist in identifying zoonotic transmission.


The only direct evidence for transmission of influenza viruses between species comes from studies on swine influenza viruses. Antigenically and genetically identical Hsw1N1 influenza viruses were isolated from pigs and man on the same farm in Wisconsin, U.S.A. The isolation of H3N2 influenza viruses from a wide range of lower animals and birds suggests that influenza viruses of man can spread to the lower orders. Under some conditions the H3N2 viruses can persist for a number of years in some species. The isolation, from aquatic birds, of a large number of influenza A viruses that possess surface proteins antigenically similar to the viruses isolated from man, pigs and horses provides indirect evidence for inter-species transmission. There is now a considerable body of evidence which suggests that influenza viruses of lower animals and birds may play a role in the origin of some of the pandemic strains of influenza A viruses. There is no direct evidence that the influenza viruses in aquatic birds are transmitted to man, but they may serve as a genetic pool from which some genes may be introduced into humans by recombination. Preliminary evidence suggests that the molecular basis of host range and virulence may be related to the RNA segments coding for one of the polymerase proteins (P3) and for the nucleoprotein (NP).


2013 ◽  
Vol 368 (1614) ◽  
pp. 20120382 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Bhatt ◽  
T. T. Lam ◽  
S. J. Lycett ◽  
A. J. Leigh Brown ◽  
T. A. Bowden ◽  
...  

Few questions on infectious disease are more important than understanding how and why avian influenza A viruses successfully emerge in mammalian populations, yet little is known about the rate and nature of the virus’ genetic adaptation in new hosts. Here, we measure, for the first time, the genomic rate of adaptive evolution of swine influenza viruses (SwIV) that originated in birds. By using a curated dataset of more than 24 000 human and swine influenza gene sequences, including 41 newly characterized genomes, we reconstructed the adaptive dynamics of three major SwIV lineages (Eurasian, EA; classical swine, CS; triple reassortant, TR). We found that, following the transfer of the EA lineage from birds to swine in the late 1970s, EA virus genes have undergone substantially faster adaptive evolution than those of the CS lineage, which had circulated among swine for decades. Further, the adaptation rates of the EA lineage antigenic haemagglutinin and neuraminidase genes were unexpectedly high and similar to those observed in human influenza A. We show that the successful establishment of avian influenza viruses in swine is associated with raised adaptive evolution across the entire genome for many years after zoonosis, reflecting the contribution of multiple mutations to the coordinated optimization of viral fitness in a new environment. This dynamics is replicated independently in the polymerase genes of the TR lineage, which established in swine following separate transmission from non-swine hosts.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen Su ◽  
Rhodri Harfoot ◽  
Yvonne Su ◽  
Jennifer DeBeauchamp ◽  
Udayan Joseph ◽  
...  

Abstract The emergence of a pandemic influenza virus may be better anticipated if we better understand the evolutionary steps taken by avian influenza viruses as they adapt to mammals. We used ancestral sequence reconstruction to resurrect viruses representing initial adaptive stages of the European avian-like H1N1 virus as it transitioned from avian to swine hosts. We demonstrate that efficient transmissibility in pigs was gained through stepwise adaptation after 1983. These time-dependent adaptations resulted in changes in hemagglutinin receptor binding specificity and increased viral polymerase activity. An NP-R351K mutation under strong positive selection increased the transmissibility of a reconstructed virus. The stepwise-adaptation of a wholly avian influenza virus to a mammalian host suggests a window where targeted intervention may have highest impact. Successful intervention will, however, require strategic coordination of surveillance and risk assessment activities to identify these adapting viruses and guide pandemic preparedness resources.


1999 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 1878-1884 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Stech ◽  
X. Xiong ◽  
C. Scholtissek ◽  
R. G. Webster

ABSTRACT In 1979, an H1N1 avian influenza virus crossed the species barrier, establishing a new lineage in European swine. Because there is no direct or serologic evidence of previous H1N1 strains in these pigs, these isolates provide a model for studying early evolution of influenza viruses. The evolutionary rates of both the coding and noncoding changes of the H1N1 swine strains are higher than those of human and classic swine influenza A viruses. In addition, early H1N1 swine isolates show a marked plaque heterogeneity that consistently appears after a few passages. The presence of a mutator mutation was postulated (C. Scholtissek, S. Ludwig, and W. M. Fitch, Arch. Virol. 131:237–250, 1993) to account for these observations and the successful establishment of an avian H1N1 strain in swine. To address this question, we calculated the mutation rates of A/Mallard/New York/6750/78 (H2N2) and A/Swine/Germany/2/81 (H1N1) by using the frequency of amantadine-resistant mutants. To account for the inherent variability of estimated mutation rates, we used a probabilistic model for the statistical analysis. The resulting estimated mutation rates of the two strains were not significantly different. Therefore, an increased mutation rate due to the presence of a mutator mutation is unlikely to have led to the successful introduction of avian H1N1 viruses in European swine.


2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (42) ◽  
pp. 11217-11222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Zanin ◽  
Sook-San Wong ◽  
Subrata Barman ◽  
Challika Kaewborisuth ◽  
Peter Vogel ◽  
...  

North American wild birds are an important reservoir of influenza A viruses, yet the potential of viruses in this reservoir to transmit and cause disease in mammals is not well understood. Our surveillance of avian influenza viruses (AIVs) at Delaware Bay, USA, revealed a group of similar H1N1 AIVs isolated in 2009, some of which were airborne-transmissible in the ferret model without prior adaptation. Comparison of the genomes of these viruses revealed genetic markers of airborne transmissibility in the Polymerase Basic 2 (PB2), PB1, PB1-F2, Polymerase Acidic-X (PA-X), Nonstructural Protein 1 (NS1), and Nuclear Export Protein (NEP) genes. We studied the role of NS1 in airborne transmission and found that NS1 mutants that were not airborne-transmissible caused limited tissue pathology in the upper respiratory tract (URT). Viral maturation was also delayed, evident as strong intranuclear staining and little virus at the mucosa. Our study of this naturally occurring constellation of genetic markers has provided insights into the poorly understood phenomenon of AIV airborne transmissibility by revealing a role for NS1 and characteristics of viral replication in the URT that were associated with airborne transmission. The transmissibility of these viruses further highlights the pandemic potential of AIVs in the wild bird reservoir and the need to maintain surveillance.


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