Peng Weiyu, Liu Hui, Wang Xin, Li Chao, Huang Shunwu, Qi Shiyu, Hu Zhongnan, Xu Xiaoying, Jiang Haihai, Duan Jinyu, Chen Hui, Huang Manyu, Sun Ying, Wu Weihua, Jiang Min, Zou Xuan, Fang Shisong
Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen 518000, China.
College of Public Health, University of South China, Hengyang 421000, China.
Viruses. 2025 May 30;17(6):798. doi: 10.3390/v17060798.
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the implementation of associated non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) profoundly altered the epidemiology of seasonal influenza viruses. To investigate these changes, we analyzed influenza-like illness samples in Shenzhen, China, across six influenza seasons spanning 2018 to 2024. Influenza activity declined markedly during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic compared with the pre-pandemic period but returned to or even exceeded pre-pandemic levels in the post-pandemic era. Phylogenetic analysis of hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes from 58 H1N1pdm09, 78 H3N2, and 97 B/Victoria isolates revealed substantial genetic divergence from the WHO-recommended vaccine strains. Notably, key mutations in the HA genes of H1N1pdm09, H3N2, and B/Victoria viruses were concentrated in the receptor-binding site (RBS) and adjacent antigenic sites. Hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assays demonstrated that most circulating viruses remained antigenically matched to their corresponding vaccine strains. However, significant antigenic drift was observed in H3N2 clade 3C.2a1b.1b viruses during the 2018-2019 season and in B/Victoria clade V1A.3a.2 viruses during the 2023-2024 season. These findings highlight the impact of NPIs and pandemic-related disruptions on influenza virus circulation and evolution, providing critical insights for future surveillance and public health preparedness.
严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2(SARS-CoV-2)大流行以及相关非药物干预措施(NPIs)的实施深刻改变了季节性流感病毒的流行病学特征。为了调查这些变化,我们分析了中国深圳在2018年至2024年的六个流感季节期间的流感样疾病样本。与大流行前时期相比,SARS-CoV-2大流行期间流感活动显著下降,但在大流行后时代恢复到甚至超过了大流行前的水平。对58株甲型H1N1pdm09、78株甲型H3N2和97株乙型Victoria系流感病毒的血凝素(HA)和神经氨酸酶(NA)基因进行系统发育分析,结果显示与世界卫生组织推荐的疫苗株存在显著的基因差异。值得注意的是,甲型H1N1pdm09、甲型H3N2和乙型Victoria系流感病毒的HA基因中的关键突变集中在受体结合位点(RBS)和相邻的抗原位点。血凝抑制(HI)试验表明,大多数流行病毒在抗原性上仍与其相应的疫苗株匹配。然而,在2018 - 2019季节的甲型H3N2 3C.2a1b.1b分支病毒和2023 - 2024季节的乙型Victoria系V1A.3a.2分支病毒中观察到了显著的抗原漂移。这些发现突出了非药物干预措施和大流行相关干扰对流感病毒传播和进化的影响,为未来的监测和公共卫生防范提供了关键见解。