Abstract
Little is known about the ecology of influenza A virus (IAV) in nonhuman primates (NHPs). We conducted active surveillance of IAV among 672 cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) living in 27 free-ranging colonies in Thailand between March and November 2019. A hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay was employed as the screening test against 16 subtypes of avian influenza virus (AIV) and two strains of the H1 subtype of human influenza virus. The serum samples with HI titers ≥20 were further confirmed by microneutralization (MN) assay. Real-time RT-PCR assay was performed to detect the conserved region of the influenza matrix (M) gene. The seropositive rate for subtypes of IAV, including AIV H1 (1.6%, 11/672), AIV H2 (15.2%, 102/672), AIV H3 (0.3%, 2/672), AIV H9 (3.4%, 23/672), and human H1 (NP-045) (0.9%, 6/672), was demonstrated. We also found antibody against more than one subtype of IAV in 15 out of 128 positive tested sera (11.7%). Moreover, influenza genome could be detected in 1 out of 245 pool swab samples (0.41%). Evidence of IAV infection presented here emphasizes the role of NHPs in the ecology of the virus. Our findings highlight the need to further conduct a continuous active surveillance program in NHP populations.
Highlights
IntroductionThe influenza A virus (IAV) is a paradigm for an emerging infectious virus that is still evolving
Published: 13 March 2022The influenza A virus (IAV) is a paradigm for an emerging infectious virus that is still evolving
The Geometric mean titers (GMTs) of hemagglutination inhibition (HI) titers against each virus subtype were determined as avian influenza virus (AIV) H1 = 10.13 (10.05–10.22), AIV H2 = 11.89 (11.50–12.30), AIV H3 = 10.03 (9.97–10.08), AIV H9 = 10.37 (10.19–10.55), and human H1 (NP-045) = 10.11 (10.02–10.21)
Summary
The influenza A virus (IAV) is a paradigm for an emerging infectious virus that is still evolving. The gene pool of IAV in aquatic birds provides all the genetic diversity required for the emergence of the epidemic/pandemic influenza virus in reservoir hosts [1]. Molecular characterization and epidemiological study suggests that the pandemic human influenza viruses originated mostly from animals, in particular, pigs and birds [2]. The phenomenon has been previously observed in several past human influenza pandemics. The continuous circulation in animal hosts could make the influenza viruses undergo periodic genetic changes (evolution, adaptation, and gene reassortment), leading to the possibility of the emergence of new strains with epidemic and pandemic potential [3]. Surveillance of IAV infection in many animal species, especially the animals that live closely with humans, is still needed
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