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90 years later, 1918 flu lives on in antibodies, research
Antibodies to 1918 flu found in elderly survivors
Changes in amino acids in the 1918 influenza virus cut transmission
Questions & Answers: Small change in 1918 influenza virus halts transmission
Publication Highlights
yu et al. Nature 455:532-536, 2008
Xu et al. have taken advantage of the 1918 virus sequencing and the production of recombinant 1918 hemagglutinin (HA) protein antigen to characterize neutralizing antibodies induced by natural exposure of survivors to the 1918 pandemic virus. Of the 32 individuals tested, each showed seroreactivity with the 1918 virus, nearly 90 years after the pandemic. The antibodies bound to the 1918 HA protein with high affinity, had exceptional virus-neutralizing potency, and protected mice from lethal infection.
Tumpey et al. Science 315:655-659, 2007
Terry Tumpey et al. show that two amino acid mutations that cause a switch in receptor binding preference from the human alpha-2,6 to the avian alpha-2,3 sialic acid results in a virus incapable of respiratory droplet transmission between ferrets but that maintains its lethality and replication efficiency in the upper respiratory tract. These findings confirm an essential role of hemagglutinin receptor specificity for the transmission of influenza viruses among mammals.