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Animal influenza epidemiology.
Vaccine. 2008 Sep 12;26 Suppl 4:D67-9
Authors: Ducatez MF, Webster RG, Webby RJ
Influenza A viruses exist within their natural host, aquatic birds, in a number of antigenic subtypes. Only a few of these subtypes have successfully crossed into other avian and mammalian hosts. This brief review will focus on just three examples of viruses that have successfully passed between species; avian H5NI1 and H9N2 viruses and H3N2 viruses which have transmitted from aquatic birds to humans and then to swine. Although there are a number of other subtypes that have also transmitted successfully between species, these three selected examples have spread and evolved in different ways, exemplifying the complexity of influenza A virus epidemiology.
PMID: 19230163 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]