Rhiza Labs FluTracker Forum

Pandemic 2009 H1N1 influenza (pH1N1) viruses circulating in Spain last flu season included a new genetic group, but none of the viruses studied show any significant antigenic changes, according to a phylogenetic analysis in the Journal of Clinical Virology. Spanish researchers analyzed 220 circulating pH1N1 viruses from Spanish Influenza Surveillance System labs. They found six different genetic groups, five of which were previously noted. The new group they identified constituted 12.3% of the viruses and was characterized by E172K and K308E changes and a proline—a type of amino acid—at position 83 of the hemagglutinin protein. The authors conclude, "None of the groups identified to date have resulted in significant antigenic changes."

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar ... 3211004161