College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Daizong Street 61, 271018, Tai'an, Shandong, China.
Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2013 Oct;32(10):1347-51. doi: 10.1007/s10096-013-1888-7. Epub 2013 Jun 4.
H9N2 avian influenza virus has been circulating widely in birds, with occasional infection among humans. Poultry workers are considered to be at high risk of infection with avian influenza due to their frequent exposure to chickens, but the frequency of H9N2 avian influenza virus infections among them is still indistinct. This study was carried out in order to identify the seroprevalence of H9N2 avian influenza virus among poultry workers in Shandong, China. During the period from December 2011 to February 2012, a total of 482 subjects took part in this study, including 382 poultry workers and 100 healthy residents without occupational poultry exposure. Serum samples were collected and tested for the presence of antibodies against H9N2 avian influenza virus by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) and microneutralization (MN) assays. Nine subjects (9/382 = 2.3%) were positive for antibodies against H9N2 avian influenza virus among poultry workers by either HI or MN assays using ≥40 cut-off, while none of the 100 healthy residents were seropositive. In conclusion, our study identified H9N2 avian influenza infections among poultry workers in Shandong, China, and continuous surveillance of H9N2 avian influenza virus infection in humans should be carried out to evaluate the threat to public health.
H9N2 禽流感病毒在禽类中广泛传播，偶尔也会感染人类。由于禽类工作者经常接触鸡，因此被认为感染禽流感的风险较高，但他们感染 H9N2 禽流感病毒的频率仍不明确。本研究旨在确定中国山东禽类工作者中 H9N2 禽流感病毒的血清流行率。2011 年 12 月至 2012 年 2 月期间，共有 482 名受试者参加了这项研究，包括 382 名禽类工作者和 100 名没有职业性禽类接触的健康居民。采集血清样本，通过血凝抑制（HI）和微量中和（MN）试验检测 H9N2 禽流感病毒抗体的存在。通过 HI 或 MN 试验，用≥40 个截断值检测到 9 名（9/382=2.3%）禽类工作者的 H9N2 禽流感病毒抗体呈阳性，而 100 名健康居民均未呈血清阳性。总之，本研究在中国山东发现了禽类工作者感染 H9N2 禽流感，应继续监测人类感染 H9N2 禽流感病毒的情况，以评估对公众健康的威胁。
