Experimental adaptation of an influenza H5 HA confers respiratory droplet transmission to a reassortant H5 HA/H1N1 virus in ferrets
Nature·
- DOI
- 10.1038/nature10831
- PMID
- 22722205
- PMCID
- PMC3388103
- OpenAlex
- W2112170460
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
Characterizing the genetic requirements for avian influenza hemagglutinin to support mammalian spread aids in forecasting pandemic risks and directing resource allocation for medical countermeasures.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
What molecular alterations in the hemagglutinin protein enable a reassortant influenza virus to achieve respiratory droplet spread in mammals?
Study design
Controlled laboratory experiment employing a ferret model to evaluate the transmission capacity and disease severity of a genetically modified reassortant influenza strain.
Population and setting
Ferrets utilized as a mammalian surrogate system to assess viral replication, receptor affinity, and airborne dissemination.
Main findings
A reassortant virus containing an adapted H5 hemagglutinin segment with four specific mutations achieved efficient droplet transmission between ferrets. The pathogen demonstrated robust replication and human-type receptor preference while producing mild pulmonary damage without lethality. Authors caution that additional genetic components beyond these four mutations likely influence complete mammalian transmissibility.
Public-health relevance
Characterizing the genetic requirements for avian influenza hemagglutinin to support mammalian spread aids in forecasting pandemic risks and directing resource allocation for medical countermeasures.
Important limitations
The authors explicitly note uncertainty regarding whether the identified four mutations alone would confer transmissibility to a fully avian H5N1 strain, and acknowledge that other viral gene segments likely influence mammalian spread. Because the evaluation relies solely on the supplied abstract and metadata, the original manuscript must be consulted for comprehensive methodological detail and decision-grade interpretation.
GIDS interpretation
This work supplies mechanistic insights into hemagglutinin-driven cross-species transmission, establishing a reference point for investigators monitoring influenza genetic drift and evaluating emerging variant characteristics.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 9 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.