|
|
Article: Transmission of equine influenza virus to English foxhounds.(DISPATCHES)
- Article from:
- Emerging Infectious Diseases
- Article date:
- March 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
We retrospectively demonstrated that an outbreak of severe respiratory disease in a pack of English foxhounds in the United Kingdom in September 2002 was caused by an equine influenza A virus (H3N8). We also demonstrated that canine respiratory tissue possesses the relevant receptors for infection with equine influenza virus.
**********
Influenza A viruses are divided into subtypes according to the serologic reactivity of the surface glycoproteins hemagglutinin (H1-H16) and neuraminidase (N1-N9). Aquatic birds are regarded as the natural reservoir for influenza A viruses; a few mammalian hosts are infected by a limited number of virus subtypes. The first ...