Re-emergence of H3N2 strains carrying potential neutralizing mutations at the N-linked glycosylation site at the hemagglutinin head, post the 2009 H1N1 pandemic

Table 1 Glycosylation sites in the hemagglutinin (HA) of H3N2 viruses isolated from clinical specimens

Residue 45 is located in the stem of HA, and residues 63, 122, 126, 133, 144, 165, and 246 are located in the globular head of HA
Oka/2, Sk/23, and Sk/26 were used as representative 144K, 144N, and 45N/144N type viruses, respectively, to obtain neutralizing antibodies
All samples were obtained from patients who had not received any medication prior to sample collection. Four samples (A/Okayama/2/11, A/Okayama/3/11, A/Okayama/4/11, and A/Okayama/5/11) were isolated in the Okayama prefecture in the 2010–11 season and four samples (A/Shizuoka/10/12, A/Shizuoka/23/12, A/Shizuoka/24/12, and A/Shizuoka/26/12) were isolated in the Shizuoka prefecture in the 2011–12 season

ISSN: 1471-2334