Research paths to successful prevention and treatment of swine-derived H1N1 influenza virus infection.

Despite the fact that the threat of a new influenza pandemic has been hovering over us for quite some time, the truth is that the weapons currently licensed for fighting the swine-derived H1N1 virus are not quite up to the current needs. Although considerable effort has been put into developing new vaccines and antivirals, the available agents are basically the same ones as 10 years ago. In this review, we consider novel prophylactic and therapeutic alternatives, which luckily are being proposed by experts in the field. The better understanding and basic knowledge of influenza viruses, including their high variability and potential for antigenic drift, has prompted the development of new antivirals and more efficacious vaccines that hold promise for the near future.