Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Bulletin of the World Health Organization logoLink to Bulletin of the World Health Organization
. 1973;48(3):269–278.

Antigenic variation in current human type A influenzaviruses: Antigenic characteristics of the variants and their geographic distribution

G C Schild, M Henry-Aymard, M S Pereira, P Chakraverty, W Dowdle, M Coleman, W K Chang
PMCID: PMC2481068  PMID: 4200741

Abstract

Outbreaks of influenza due to the virus A/Hong Kong/1/68 (H3N2) began in 1968 and are still occurring. The haemagglutinin of this virus is different from that of the A/Singapore/1/57 virus (the “Asian” strain) but the neuraminidase antigens are the same. Between 1968 and 1971 only minor antigenic “drift” in the haemagglutinin was noted, but in recent months 2 isolates have been identified in which considerable “drift” has occurred in the haemagglutinin and in the neuraminidase antigens. One, A/Hong Kong/5/72 (H3N2), was first detected in outbreaks in Hong Kong between November 1971 and January 1972 and was predominant there and in Korea but did not become widely disseminated. The second strain, A/England/42/72 (H3N2), has been isolated in winter outbreaks in the southern hemisphere and now appears to be the predominant strain in the northern hemisphere. The characteristics of the strains are described.

Full text

PDF
269

Images in this article

272Fig. 1
on p.272
273Fig. 2
on p.273
275Fig. 3
on p.275

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Brand C. M., Skehel J. J. Crystalline antigen from the influenza virus envelope. Nat New Biol. 1972 Aug 2;238(83):145–147. doi: 10.1038/newbio238145a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Coleman M. T., Dowdle W. R., Pereira H. G., Schild G. C., Chang W. K. The Hong Kong-68 influenza A2 variant. Lancet. 1968 Dec 28;2(7583):1384–1386. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(68)92683-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. LAVER W. G. STRUCTURAL STUDIES ON THE PROTEIN SUBUNITS FROM THREE STRAINS OF INFLUENZA VIRUS. J Mol Biol. 1964 Jul;9:109–124. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(64)80094-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. McCahon D., Schild G. C. Segregation of antigenic and biological characteristics during influenza virus recombination. J Gen Virol. 1972 Apr;15(1):73–77. doi: 10.1099/0022-1317-15-1-73. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Pereira M. S., Schild G. C. An antigenic variant of the Hong Kong-68 influenza A 2 virus. J Hyg (Lond) 1971 Mar;69(1):99–103. doi: 10.1017/s0022172400021306. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Schild G. C. Evidence for a new type-specific structural antigen of the influenza virus particle. J Gen Virol. 1972 Apr;15(1):99–103. doi: 10.1099/0022-1317-15-1-99. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Schild G. C., Henry-Aymard M., Pereira H. G. A quantitative, single-radial-diffusion test for immunological studies with influenza virus. J Gen Virol. 1972 Aug;16(2):231–236. doi: 10.1099/0022-1317-16-2-231. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Slepushkin A. N., Schild G. C., Beare A. S., Chinn S., Tyrrell D. A. Neuraminidase and resistance to vaccination with live influenza A2 Hong Kong vaccines. J Hyg (Lond) 1971 Dec;69(4):571–578. doi: 10.1017/s0022172400021847. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Webster R. G., Laver W. G. Preparation and properties of antibody directed specifically against the neuraminidase of influenza virus. J Immunol. 1967 Jul;99(1):49–55. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Bulletin of the World Health Organization are provided here courtesy of World Health Organization

RESOURCES