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Hemagglutinin and neuraminidase genes of influenza B viruses circulating in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during 2010–2011: Evolution and sequence analysis
Author(s) -
Ali Ghazanfar,
Amer Haitham M.,
Almajhdi Fahad N.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/jmv.23819
Subject(s) - neuraminidase , hemagglutinin (influenza) , virology , biology , antigenicity , gene , influenzavirus b , virus , sequence analysis , influenza a virus , genetics , orthomyxoviridae , antibody
Influenza viruses are known as continuing threats to human public health every year worldwide. Evolutionary dynamics of influenza B viruses in humans are in a unique progression having two lineages; B/Yam and B/Vic‐like viruses, which are circulating simultaneously worldwide. There is a considerable lack of data on influenza B viruses circulating in Saudi Arabia. During the winter‐spring season of 2010–2011, 80 nasopharyngeal aspirates were collected from hospitalized patients with flu‐like symptoms in Riyadh. Screening of samples by one‐step RT‐PCR identified three (3.8%) influenza B viruses. Sequencing of hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes was performed to analyze influenza B viruses circulating in Riyadh as compared to the globally circulating strains. Several common and six unique amino acid substitutions were observed for both HA and NA genes of influenza B Saudi strains. Three unique substitutions (T182A, D196N, and K254R) were identified in HA gene of the B/Yam‐like Riyadh strains. In NA gene, a unique common substitution (D53G) was found in all Riyadh strains, while two unique substitutions (L38P, G233R) were recognized only in B/Vic‐like Riyadh strains. Riyadh strains were also found to contain N‐glycosylation site in HA gene of both B/Vic and B/Yam lineages at positions 197–199 (NET) and 196–198 (NNK/DNK), respectively. The significance of these mutations on the antigenicity of both lineages is discussed herein. The unique changes observed in HA and NA genes of influenza B Riyadh strains support strongly the need for continuous surveillance and monitoring of new evolving strains that might pose threat to the Saudi community. J. Med. Virol. 86:1003–1016, 2014 . © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.