Erich Hoffmann
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Mx1 Gene Protects Mice Against the Highly Lethal Human H5N1 Influenza Virus Open
We investigated the importance of the host Mx1 gene in protection against highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus. Mice expressing the Mx1 gene survived infection with the lethal human H5N1 isolate A/Vietnam/1203/04 and with reassorta…
Neuraminidase Inhibitor-Resistant Recombinant A/Vietnam/1203/04 (H5N1) Influenza Viruses Retain Their Replication Efficiency and Pathogenicity In Vitro and In Vivo Open
Effective antiviral drugs are essential for early control of an influenza pandemic. It is therefore crucial to evaluate the possible threat posed by neuraminidase (NA) inhibitor-resistant influenza viruses with pandemic potential. Four NA …
Inhibition of the cytokine response does not protect against lethal H5N1 influenza infection Open
Because proinflammatory cytokines are markedly elevated during H5N1 influenza virus infection, the “cytokine storm” is hypothesized to be the main cause of mortality. Here, we demonstrate that mice deficient in the hallmark inflammatory cy…
Inefficient Transmission of H5N1 Influenza Viruses in a Ferret Contact Model Open
The abilities to infect and transmit efficiently among humans are essential for a novel influenza A virus to cause a pandemic. To evaluate the pandemic potential of widely disseminated H5N1 influenza viruses, a ferret contact model using e…
Amantadine-Oseltamivir Combination therapy for H5N1 Influenza Virus Infection in Mice Open
Background The clinical management of H5N1 influenza virus infection in humans remains unclear. Combination chemotherapy with drugs that target different viral proteins might be more effective than monotherapy. Methods BALB/c mice were tre…
Cross‐Protectiveness and Immunogenicity of Influenza A/Duck/Singapore/3/97(H5) Vaccines against Infection with A/Vietnam/1203/04(H5N1) Virus in Ferrets Open
Ferrets were immunized with two 7- mu g doses of hemagglutinin from inactivated whole-virus vaccines containing the hemagglutinin gene of A/Duck/Singapore/3/97(H5N3) then inoculated with a lethal dose of A/Vietnam/1203/04(H5N1) (Viet/1203/…
Importance of Neuraminidase Active-Site Residues to the Neuraminidase Inhibitor Resistance of Influenza Viruses Open
Neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) are antivirals designed to target conserved residues at the neuraminidase (NA) enzyme active site in influenza A and B viruses. The conserved residues that interact with NAIs are under selective pressure, bu…
The polymerase complex genes contribute to the high virulence of the human H5N1 influenza virus isolate A/Vietnam/1203/04 Open
H5N1 influenza viruses transmitted from poultry to humans in Asia cause high mortality and pose a pandemic threat. Viral genes important for cell tropism and replication efficiency must be identified to elucidate and target virulence facto…
Neuraminidase Inhibitor-Resistant Influenza Viruses May Differ Substantially in Fitness and Transmissibility Open
Mutations of the conserved residues of influenza virus neuraminidase (NA) that are associated with NA inhibitor (NAI) resistance decrease the sialidase activity and/or stability of the NA, thus compromising viral fitness. In fact, clinical…
Molecular Basis of Replication of Duck H5N1 Influenza Viruses in a Mammalian Mouse Model Open
We recently analyzed a series of H5N1 viruses isolated from healthy ducks in southern China since 1999 and found that these viruses had progressively acquired the ability to replicate and cause disease in mice. In the present study, we exp…
Role of specific hemagglutinin amino acids in the immunogenicity and protection of H5N1 influenza virus vaccines Open
If H5N1 influenza viruses become transmissible among humans, vaccination will offer the most effective option to limit their spread. Two human vaccine candidates recently generated by reverse genetics are based on antigenically different h…
Multiple Gene Segments Control the Temperature Sensitivity and Attenuation Phenotypes of <i>ca</i> B/Ann Arbor/1/66 Open
Cold-adapted ( ca ) B/Ann Arbor/1/66 is the influenza B virus strain master donor virus for FluMist, a live, attenuated, influenza virus vaccine licensed in 2003 in the United States. Each FluMist vaccine strain contains six gene segments …
Lethality to Ferrets of H5N1 Influenza Viruses Isolated from Humans and Poultry in 2004 Open
The 2004 outbreaks of H5N1 influenza viruses in Vietnam and Thailand were highly lethal to humans and to poultry; therefore, newly emerging avian influenza A viruses pose a continued threat, not only to avian species but also to humans. We…
Rescue of influenza B virus from eight plasmids Open
Influenza B virus causes a significant amount of morbidity and mortality, yet the systems to produce high yield inactivated vaccines for these viruses have lagged behind the development of those for influenza A virus. We have established a…
Characterization of the Influenza A Virus Gene Pool in Avian Species in Southern China: Was H6N1 a Derivative or a Precursor of H5N1? Open
In 1997, an H5N1 influenza virus outbreak occurred in chickens in Hong Kong, and the virus was transmitted directly to humans. Because there is limited information about the avian influenza virus reservoir in that region, we genetically ch…