Surveillance of influenza virus B circulation in Northern Italy: summer-fall 2008 isolation of three strains and phylogenetic analysis

New Microbiol. 2009 Oct;32(4):405-10.

Abstract

Influenza virus type B strains were unexpectedly detected and isolated in Italy during summer-fall 2008 from three patients travelling to Italy from Lebanon, Senegal and Uzbekistan. The three summer-fall strains matched to a high degree the hemagglutinin (HA1) of influenza virus type B strains circulating in Italy in the second part (January through April) of the 2007/2008 season, and HA1 of the type B strains included in the 2008/2009 vaccine (B/Yamagata/16/88 lineage). Surveillance of influenza virus circulation in Western countries also during the summer-fall season may help to trace and anticipate the appearance of new influenza virus variants.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / genetics
  • Humans
  • Influenza B virus / classification
  • Influenza B virus / genetics
  • Influenza B virus / isolation & purification*
  • Influenza Vaccines
  • Influenza, Human / epidemiology*
  • Influenza, Human / virology*
  • Italy / epidemiology
  • Nasopharynx / virology
  • Phylogeny*
  • Population Surveillance / methods*
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Seasons
  • Species Specificity
  • Travel

Substances

  • Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus
  • Influenza Vaccines