Abstract
The ability to attach to host cells is one of the main determinants of the host range of influenza A viruses. By using virus histochemistry, we investigate the pattern of virus attachment of both a human and an avian influenza virus in colon and trachea sections from 12 wild bird species. We show that significant variations exist, even between closely related avian species, which suggests that the ability of wild birds to serve as hosts for influenza viruses strongly varies among species. These results will prove valuable to assess the possibilities of interspecies transmission of influenza viruses in natural environments and better understand the ecology of influenza.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Article number | e24155 |
Journal | PLoS ONE |
Volume | 6 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Sept 2011 |
Bibliographical note
Funding:This study was financially supported by the Swedish Research Council (VR) and the Swedish Research Council Formas, the French Fondation pour la
Recherche Me´dicale (reference SPE20070709608) and the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health. The funders had no role in study
design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.