Biological Sciences Division
Published November 11, 2016 | Version v1
Journal article Open

Viral factors in influenza pandemic risk assessment

Creators

  • 1. Harvard University
  • 2. Imperial College London
  • 3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • 4. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
  • 5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • 6. University of Chicago
  • 7. University of Virginia
  • 8. University of California, Los Angeles
  • 9. Agency for Science Technology and Research
  • 10. Ryerson University
  • 11. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
  • 12. University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • 13. University of Georgia
  • 14. Erasmus Medical Center
  • 15. University of Glasgow
  • 16. IRD/UPMC UMMISCO
  • 17. University of Texas at Austin
  • 18. University of Cambridge

Description

The threat of an influenza A virus pandemic stems from continual virus spillovers from reservoir species, a tiny fraction of which spark sustained transmission in humans. To date, no pandemic emergence of a new influenza strain has been preceded by detection of a closely related precursor in an animal or human. Nonetheless, influenza surveillance efforts are expanding, prompting a need for tools to assess the pandemic risk posed by a detected virus. The goal would be to use genetic sequence and/or biological assays of viral traits to identify those non-human influenza viruses with the greatest risk of evolving into pandemic threats, and/or to understand drivers of such evolution, to prioritize pandemic prevention or response measures. We describe such efforts, identify progress and ongoing challenges, and discuss three specific traits of influenza viruses (hemagglutinin receptor binding specificity, hemagglutinin pH of activation, and polymerase complex efficiency) that contribute to pandemic risk.

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Additional details

Identifiers

DOI
10.7554/eLife.18491
Other
oai:uchicago.tind.io:10006

Funding

National Institutes of Health
U54 GM088558
National Institutes of Health
RAPIDD program, Science and Technology Directorate, U.S Department of Homeland Security, and the Fogarty International Center
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance
National Institutes of Health
R01 GM098304
National Health and Medical Research Council
12/1/06/24/5793
Agency for Science, Technology and Research
12/1/06/24/5793
Wellcome
093488/Z/10/Z
Wellcome
200187/Z/15/Z
Wellcome
200861/Z/16/Z
Medical Research Council
MR/J008761/1
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
MIDAS U01 GM110721-01
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
355837-2013
Ministry of Research and Innovation of Ontario
ER13-09-040
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
VIDI grant
Medical Research Council
G0801822
National Institutes of Health
R01 GM088344
Royal Society
University Research Fellowship

UChicago Information

Division(s)
Biological Sciences Division
Department(s)
Ecology and Evolution, Evolutionary Biology