Rapid detection of new B/Victoria-lineage haemagglutinin variants of influenza B viruses by pyrosequencing

Hilda Lau; Yi-Mo Deng; Xiyan Xu; Wendy Sessions; Ian G Barr

doi:10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2018.11.003

Rapid detection of new B/Victoria-lineage haemagglutinin variants of influenza B viruses by pyrosequencing

Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 2019 Apr;93(4):311-317. doi: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2018.11.003. Epub 2018 Nov 13.

Authors

Hilda Lau¹, Yi-Mo Deng², Xiyan Xu³, Wendy Sessions³, Ian G Barr¹

Affiliations

¹ WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
² WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Electronic address: yi-mo.deng@influenzacentre.org.
³ WHO Collaborating Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Control of Influenza, Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Other Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, USA.

PMID: 30528425
DOI: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2018.11.003

Abstract

During 2016/2017, several antigenically and genetically distinct variant viruses of the influenza B/Victoria/2/87-lineage (B/Vic) viruses, which have either deletions or mutations in the haemagglutinin (HA) emerged and co-circulated with other influenza B viruses from both the B/Vic and B/Yamagata/16/88-lineages (B/Yam). In this study we developed a pyrosequencing assay that can detect and differentiate multiple influenza B virus variants currently in circulation. The assay targets a region of HA sequence that is unique for each of the B/Yam, B/Vic and B/Vic variant viruses. Our results demonstrated that it is a rapid, robust, high-throughput assay, highly sensitive and specific in differentiating among the B/Yam, B/Vic and B/Vic variant viruses, giving it an advantage over an existing rRT-PCR method. It works well for influenza virus isolates as well as original clinical respiratory specimens, and can therefore be used to provide important information for surveillance by closely monitoring the spread of these B/Vic variants.

Keywords: B-lineages; B/Victoria variant; Influenza B; Pyrosequencing.

Publication types

Evaluation Study

MeSH terms

Genotyping Techniques / methods*
High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing / methods*
Humans
Influenza B virus / classification*
Influenza B virus / genetics
Influenza B virus / isolation & purification*
Influenza, Human / virology*
Molecular Epidemiology / methods
Sensitivity and Specificity
Time Factors