The Val430Ile neuraminidase (NA) substitution, identified in influenza B virus isolates, impacts the catalytic 116Arg residue causing reduced susceptibility to NA inhibitors.

As part of a 2015-2018 clinical trial of peramivir treatment for acute influenza infections in the elderly, an influenza B/Yamagata/16/1988-like isolate harbouring a Val430Ile neuraminidase (NA) substitution was recovered from a single patient. This substitution was detected in respiratory samples collected before and during peramivir treatment. In NA inhibition assays, oseltamivir, zanamivir and peramivir IC50s of the Val430Ile isolate were 4-, 15- and 16-fold higher compared to a wild-type (WT) strain. In reverse genetics experiments, the Ile430Val reversion restored the drug susceptible phenotype. The Val430Ile mutant and the WT strain had comparable replication kinetics in ST6GalI-MDCK cells and the NA mutation was stable after four passages in that cell line. Molecular dynamics simulations suggested that Val430Ile impacts the NA binding through a mechanism involving the catalytic Arg116 residue. The potential of some NA mutations not part of the active site to alter the susceptibility to NA inhibitors highlights the need to develop novel antiviral strategies against influenza B infections.