1] State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases (HKU-Shenzhen Branch), Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, Shenzhen 518112, China [2] Joint Influenza Research Centre (SUMC/HKU), Shantou University Medical College (SUMC), Shantou 515041, China [3] Centre of Influenza Research, School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong, China.
State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases (HKU-Shenzhen Branch), Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, Shenzhen 518112, China.
Nature. 2015 Jun 4;522(7554):102-5. doi: 10.1038/nature14348. Epub 2015 Mar 11.
Since 2013 the occurrence of human infections by a novel avian H7N9 influenza virus in China has demonstrated the continuing threat posed by zoonotic pathogens. Although the first outbreak wave that was centred on eastern China was seemingly averted, human infections recurred in October 2013 (refs 3-7). It is unclear how the H7N9 virus re-emerged and how it will develop further; potentially it may become a long-term threat to public health. Here we show that H7N9 viruses have spread from eastern to southern China and become persistent in chickens, which has led to the establishment of multiple regionally distinct lineages with different reassortant genotypes. Repeated introductions of viruses from Zhejiang to other provinces and the presence of H7N9 viruses at live poultry markets have fuelled the recurrence of human infections. This rapid expansion of the geographical distribution and genetic diversity of the H7N9 viruses poses a direct challenge to current disease control systems. Our results also suggest that H7N9 viruses have become enzootic in China and may spread beyond the region, following the pattern previously observed with H5N1 and H9N2 influenza viruses.
自 2013 年以来，在中国发生了新型禽流感 H7N9 病毒感染人类的情况，这表明人畜共患病原体仍在持续构成威胁。尽管最初集中在中国东部的疫情爆发似乎已经得到控制，但 2013 年 10 月再次出现了人类感染病例（参考文献 3-7）。目前尚不清楚 H7N9 病毒是如何再次出现的，以及它将如何进一步发展；它有可能成为长期的公共卫生威胁。在这里，我们表明 H7N9 病毒已从东部传播到中国南部，并在鸡群中持续存在，导致形成了多个具有不同重配基因型的区域性独特谱系。病毒从浙江反复传入其他省份，以及活禽市场存在 H7N9 病毒，都导致了人类感染的再次发生。H7N9 病毒在地理分布和遗传多样性方面的迅速扩张，对当前的疾病控制系统构成了直接挑战。我们的研究结果还表明，H7N9 病毒在中国已成为地方性流行病毒，可能会遵循之前观察到的 H5N1 和 H9N2 流感病毒的模式，传播到该地区以外。
