Molecular Markers and Mechanisms of Influenza A Virus Cross-Species Transmission and New Host Adaptation

Guo, Xinyi; Zhou, Yang; Yan, Huijun; An, Qing; Liang, Chudan; Liu, Linna; Qian, Jun

doi:10.3390/v16060883

Open AccessReview

Molecular Markers and Mechanisms of Influenza A Virus Cross-Species Transmission and New Host Adaptation

by

Xinyi Guo

^1,†,

Yang Zhou

^2,†,

Huijun Yan

³,

Qing An

⁴,

Chudan Liang

^3,5,

Linna Liu

^2,*

and

Jun Qian

^1,5,6,*

¹

School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China

²

Guangzhou Eighth People’s Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510440, China

³

Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China

⁴

College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China

⁵

Guangdong Provincial Highly Pathogenic Microorganism Science Data Center, Guangzhou 510080, China

⁶

Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafety, Shenzhen 518107, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Viruses 2024, 16(6), 883; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16060883

Submission received: 16 April 2024 / Revised: 25 May 2024 / Accepted: 28 May 2024 / Published: 30 May 2024

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animal and Human Respiratory Viruses—Causes of the Next Pandemic?)

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Abstract

Influenza A viruses continue to be a serious health risk to people and result in a large-scale socio-economic loss. Avian influenza viruses typically do not replicate efficiently in mammals, but through the accumulation of mutations or genetic reassortment, they can overcome interspecies barriers, adapt to new hosts, and spread among them. Zoonotic influenza A viruses sporadically infect humans and exhibit limited human-to-human transmission. However, further adaptation of these viruses to humans may result in airborne transmissible viruses with pandemic potential. Therefore, we are beginning to understand genetic changes and mechanisms that may influence interspecific adaptation, cross-species transmission, and the pandemic potential of influenza A viruses. We also discuss the genetic and phenotypic traits associated with the airborne transmission of influenza A viruses in order to provide theoretical guidance for the surveillance of new strains with pandemic potential and the prevention of pandemics.

Keywords: influenza A virus; cross-species transmission; molecular mechanisms; adaptive mutations; reassortment

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MDPI and ACS Style

Guo, X.; Zhou, Y.; Yan, H.; An, Q.; Liang, C.; Liu, L.; Qian, J. Molecular Markers and Mechanisms of Influenza A Virus Cross-Species Transmission and New Host Adaptation. Viruses 2024, 16, 883. https://doi.org/10.3390/v16060883

AMA Style

Guo X, Zhou Y, Yan H, An Q, Liang C, Liu L, Qian J. Molecular Markers and Mechanisms of Influenza A Virus Cross-Species Transmission and New Host Adaptation. Viruses. 2024; 16(6):883. https://doi.org/10.3390/v16060883

Chicago/Turabian Style

Guo, Xinyi, Yang Zhou, Huijun Yan, Qing An, Chudan Liang, Linna Liu, and Jun Qian. 2024. "Molecular Markers and Mechanisms of Influenza A Virus Cross-Species Transmission and New Host Adaptation" Viruses 16, no. 6: 883. https://doi.org/10.3390/v16060883

APA Style

Guo, X., Zhou, Y., Yan, H., An, Q., Liang, C., Liu, L., & Qian, J. (2024). Molecular Markers and Mechanisms of Influenza A Virus Cross-Species Transmission and New Host Adaptation. Viruses, 16(6), 883. https://doi.org/10.3390/v16060883

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

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Molecular Markers and Mechanisms of Influenza A Virus Cross-Species Transmission and New Host Adaptation

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