Solorzano A, Song H, Hickman D, Pérez D R
Department of Veterinary Medicine, Room 1215, 8075 Greenmead Drive, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
Infect Disord Drug Targets. 2007 Dec;7(4):304-17. doi: 10.2174/187152607783018763.
Influenza is a seasonal disease that peaks every year in the winter months. Antigenic drift of the viral surface proteins, particularly the hemagglutinin (HA), is responsible for the virus's ability to evading the host's immune system, and for the severity of the disease. Pandemic influenza arises when an influenza virus carrying a novel HA gene enters into the naive human population, resulting in excess morbidity and mortality. Three major influenza pandemics were experienced in the last century and the emergence of a new pandemic strain is considered a matter of time. Our current understanding suggests that pandemic influenza strains arise from influenza viruses circulating in the natural reservoir, although the presence of intermediate hosts is considered essential in this process. Pigs and land-based birds have been shown to play a major role in the ecology of influenza viruses by providing an environment in which influenza viruses can change their phenotype, expand their host range, and eventually transmit to humans. In recent years, a great detail of attention has been placed on understanding the epidemiological and molecular factors that can lead to interspecies transmission of influenza viruses. In this review we will discuss the ecological and molecular aspects that lead to pandemic influenza as well as the intervention strategies at our disposal that can reduce the emergence of pandemic influenza strains and/or minimize their effects.
流感是一种季节性疾病，每年在冬季达到高峰。病毒表面蛋白，特别是血凝素（HA）的抗原漂移，是病毒逃避宿主免疫系统的能力以及疾病严重程度的原因。当携带新型HA基因的流感病毒进入未感染过该病毒的人群时，就会引发大流行性流感，导致发病率和死亡率过高。上世纪经历了三次重大流感大流行，新的大流行毒株的出现被认为只是时间问题。我们目前的认识表明，大流行性流感毒株源自自然宿主中传播的流感病毒，尽管在此过程中中间宿主的存在被认为至关重要。猪和陆基鸟类已被证明在流感病毒的生态中发挥着重要作用，它们提供了一个环境，使流感病毒能够改变其表型、扩大宿主范围，并最终传播给人类。近年来，人们非常关注了解可能导致流感病毒跨物种传播的流行病学和分子因素。在这篇综述中，我们将讨论导致大流行性流感的生态和分子方面，以及我们可以采用的干预策略，这些策略可以减少大流行性流感毒株的出现和/或尽量减少其影响。
