Abstract
Avian influenza virus H9N2 isolates cause a mild influenza-like illness in humans. However, the pathogenesis of the H9N2 subtypes in human remains to be investigated. Using a human alveolar epithelial cell line A549 as host, we found that A/Quail/Hong Kong/G1/97 (H9N2/G1), which shares 6 viral "internal genes" with the lethal A/Hong Kong/156/97 (H5N1/97) virus, replicates efficiently whereas other H9N2 viruses, A/Duck/Hong Kong/Y280/97 (H9N2/Y280) and A/Chicken/Hong Kong/G9/97 (H9N2/G9), replicate poorly. Interestingly, we found that there is a difference in the translation of viral protein but not in the infectivity or transcription of viral genes of these H9N2 viruses in the infected cells. This difference may possibly be explained by H9N2/G1 being more efficient on viral protein production in specific cell types. These findings suggest that the H9N2/G1 virus like its counterpart H5N1/97 may be better adapted to the human host and replicates efficiently in human alveolar epithelial cells.
Highlights
Avian influenza virus H9N2 isolates cause a mild influenza-like illness in humans
The H9N2 virus lineages found to be the most prevalent in poultry in southern China include the H9N2/G1-like lineage represented by A/ Quail/Hong Kong/G1/97 (H9N2/G1) and the H9N2/ Y280-like lineage represented by A/Duck/Hong Kong/ Y280/97 (H9N2/Y280) and A/Chicken/Hong Kong/G9/ 97 (H9N2/G9) since 1997 [1]
Our results showed that the virus entry of the examined H9N2 subtypes seems comparable but there is a difference in M1 protein expression in human lung epithelial A549 cells
Summary
Avian influenza virus H9N2 isolates cause a mild influenza-like illness in humans. the pathogenesis of the H9N2 subtypes in human remains to be investigated. Our results showed that H9N2/ G1 viruses replicated as efficiently as H1N1 in the human lung epithelial A549 cells. We examine the host-specific effects on the replication of H9N2 viruses, the leghorn male hepatoma chicken liver (LMH) cells were infected by H9N2 subtypes or H1N1 virus.
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