Seems to me we may have overlooked the significance of this CDC report last May - (http://tinyurl.com/t2y44)
I dont recall if we were thinking of the immediate possibility of it combining with H5N1 - were we?
Novel Swine Influenza Virus Subtype H3N1, United States Porntippa Lekcharoensuk,*1 Kelly M. Lager,* Ramesh Vemulapalli,† Mary Woodruff,† Amy L. Vincent,* and Jürgen A. Richt*
Suggested citation for this article
Influenza A virus infects various animal species and transmits among different hosts, especially between humans and swine. Swine may serve as a mixing vessel to create new reassortants that could infect humans. Thus, monitoring and characterizing influenza viruses in swine are important in preventing interspecies transmission. We report the emergence and characterization of a novel H3N1 subtype of swine influenza virus (SIV) in the United States. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the H3N1 SIVs may have acquired the hemagglutinin gene from an H3N2 turkey isolate, the neuraminidase gene from a human H1N1 isolate, and the remaining genes from currently circulating SIVs. The H3N1 SIVs were antigenically related to the turkey virus. Lung lesions and nasal shedding occurred in swine infected with the H3N1 SIVs, suggesting the potential to transmit among swine and to humans. Further surveillance will help determine whether this novel subtype will continue to circulate in swine populations. (more…)