Background: The pandemic and regional influenza outbreaks resulting from antigenic variation of influenza viruses have been the subject of numerous studies which are crucial to the preparation of the vaccine. Frequent global winter outbreaks of influenza viruses require a constant surveillance of emerging influenza variants in order to develop efficient influenza vaccine. Methods: This study wa...

We evaluated the performance of four rapid influenza diagnostic test methods (RIDT) compared to real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR), for the detection of the novel swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus (S-OIV) in August 2009. A total of 270 respiratory specimens were tested with rRT-PCR, where 74 of these were tested by BinaxNow (Inverness), 80 by QuickVue (Quide...

Background and Aims: Influenza vaccination is one of the best way to prevent and control influenza worldwide. It is manufactured by WHO-licensed companies based on the WHO expertise committee annually. The aim of this study was partial quality control of the commercial human influenza vaccine 2008-9 and its matching with the circulating strains. Materials and Methods: The trivalent imported vac...

Active surveillance in health care centers in Gabon during 2009-2011 detected 72 clinical cases of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (pH1N1). We found that pH1N1 virus was introduced in mid-2009 but spread throughout the country in 2010. Thus, Gabon was also affected by pH1N1.

During the 2009 H1N1 influenza A outbreak, 773 children were tested for influenza by direct fluorescent-antibody testing with PCR confirmation. Direct fluorescent-antibody testing has a specificity of 99.6% but a sensitivity of only 65.0%. Physicians should recognize diagnostic limitations of direct fluorescent-antibody testing, which missed one-third of infected individuals.

The rapidSTRIPE H1N1 test, based on a nucleic acid lateral-flow assay, has been developed for diagnosis of a swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus. This test is simple and cost-effective and allows specific detection of the S-OIV A (H1N1) virus from swab sampling to final detection on a lateral-flow stripe within 2 to 3 h.

The emergence of the pandemic 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus in humans and subsequent discovery that it was of swine influenza virus lineages raised concern over the safety of pork. Pigs experimentally infected with pandemic 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus developed respiratory disease; however, there was no evidence for systemic disease to suggest that pork from pigs infected with H1N1 influenza woul...