An infectious bat-derived chimeric influenza virus harbouring the entry machinery of an influenza A virus

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 5; no. 1; p. 4448
• Main Authors: Juozapaitis, Mindaugas, Aguiar Moreira, Étori, Mena, Ignacio, Giese, Sebastian, Riegger, David, Pohlmann, Anne, Höper, Dirk, Zimmer, Gert, Beer, Martin, García-Sastre, Adolfo, Schwemmle, Martin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 23-07-2014; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 13/106; 38/77; 631/326/596/1578; 631/326/596/2563; 64; 64/60; 692/699/255/2514; Amantadine - pharmacology; Animals; Antiviral Agents - pharmacology; Chick Embryo; Chickens; Chimera - genetics; Chimera - physiology; Chiroptera - virology; Dogs; Drug Resistance, Viral - genetics; Drug Resistance, Viral - physiology; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Influenza A virus - drug effects; Influenza A virus - genetics; Influenza A virus - physiology; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Models, Animal; multidisciplinary; Orthomyxoviridae - drug effects; Orthomyxoviridae - genetics; Orthomyxoviridae - physiology; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Swine; Viral Proteins - genetics; Viral Proteins - physiology; Virus Internalization; Zoonoses - transmission
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5448

In 2012, the complete genomic sequence of a new and potentially harmful influenza A-like virus from bats (H17N10) was identified. However, infectious influenza virus was neither isolated from infected bats nor reconstituted, impeding further characterization of this virus. Here we show the generation of an infectious chimeric virus containing six out of the eight bat virus genes, with the remaining two genes encoding the haemagglutinin and neuraminidase proteins of a prototypic influenza A virus. This engineered virus replicates well in a broad range of mammalian cell cultures, human primary airway epithelial cells and mice, but poorly in avian cells and chicken embryos without further adaptation. Importantly, the bat chimeric virus is unable to reassort with other influenza A viruses. Although our data do not exclude the possibility of zoonotic transmission of bat influenza viruses into the human population, they indicate that multiple barriers exist that makes this an unlikely event.
An uncharacterized influenza A-like virus (H17N10) has been detected in bats. Here the authors show that flu viruses containing certain H17N10 genes can infect human cells and mice, but do not exchange genes with other viruses, indicating that H17N10 transmission to humans is not very likely.