Serologic cross-reactivity among humans and birds infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza A subtype H5N1 viruses in China

To study immunogenicity and serologic cross-reactivity of hemagglutinins (HAs) among humans and birds infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1, four representative H5N1 HA genes from humans and birds infected with distinct genetic clusters of H5N1 viruses in China were cloned, and several H5N1 infected human serum and H5N1 positive bird serum samples were used. Recombinant HA proteins were generated for ELISA assays and pseudotype viruses containing HAs were produced for neutralization assays and hemagglutination inhibition (HI) tests. We found significant differences among clades compared to species in binding, neutralization and HI activity of H5N1 strains isolated from birds. While significant differences were observed among species in H5N1 isolated from humans, investigation of H5N1 infected human and avian sera provided evidence that the pressure from nAb may be a driving force for positive selection. Therefore, improved anti-viral nAb therapies could block avian influenza transmission in humans.