Rare homologous recombination in H3N2 avian influenza A viruses

Recently, Hu and colleagues declared in this journal that they had isolated two H3N2 avian influenza viruses (AIVs) that were derived from recombination events (1). AIVs pose great challenges for disease control due to their rapid evolution. Their viral genomes are comprised of eight negative-strand RNA segments, and the lack of a proofreading mechanism during RNA replication results in a high frequency of point mutations. In addition to generating genetic diversity by rapid mutation, if multiple AIV strains coinfect a single cell, then the eight segments of the AIV genome can reassort and yield progeny virions with novel combinations of segments, a process termed reassortment.

Source: Journal of Infection - November 19, 2019 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Xiaoyuan Chen, Fucheng Guo, Junbin Pan, Xuejuan Shen, Yanpeng Li, David M. Irwin, Yongyi Shen Tags: Letter to the Editor Source Type: research