August 21, 2013

expert reaction to surveillance and pandemic potential of H7N9 avian flu

Analyses of the evolutionary history of recently emerged H7N9 influenza virus, published in Nature, indicate that additional H7 viruses potentially pose further threats and suggests long-term  influenza surveillance is essential.

Professor Ian Jones, Professor of Virology, University of Reading, said:

“Scientifically this is a very interesting paper and the new strains it identifies are worthy of note, but they are not of immediate public concern.  The study identifies the route of adaptation for the H7 influenza that recently infected people in China, from migratory birds to local waterfowl to poultry in live markets and then to people. Surveillance programs can now focus on key strains in the adaption process and eradicate them before they complete the jump to people.”

Dr Peter Horby, Senior Clinical Research Fellow, Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Hanoi, Vietnam, said:

“This kind of microbial forensics is essential in helping us piece together the origin of novel avian influenza viruses such as H7N9.  When combined with analyses of poultry production and marketing systems, it can help us identify practices that might reduce the risks of H7N9 and other novel viruses re-emerging.  Whilst this brings us closer to understanding the pathway to emergence, more detective work is needed to fully reveal the ecology and source of H7N9 viruses, which seem to be concentrated in live poultry markets but elusive elsewhere in the production chain.  The discovery of a novel H7N7 lineage that can infect ferrets reminds us that even if H7N9 does not return, there are risks lurking amongst the great diversity of avian influenza viruses.”

‘The genesis and source of the H7N9 influenza viruses causing human infections in China’ by Tommy Tsan-Yuk Lam et al., published in Nature on Wednesday 21 August 2013.