Detection of adamantane-sensitive influenza A(H3N2) viruses in Australia, 2017: a cause for hope?

Euro Surveill. 2017 Nov;22(47):17-00731. doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2017.22.47.17-00731.

Abstract

For over a decade virtually all A(H3N2) influenza viruses have been resistant to the adamantane class of antivirals. However, during the 2017 influenza season in Australia, 15/461 (3.3%) adamantane-sensitive A(H3N2) viruses encoding serine at residue 31 of the M2 protein were detected, more than the total number identified globally during the last 6 years. A return to wide circulation of adamantane-sensitive A(H3N2) viruses would revive the option of using these drugs for treatment and prophylaxis.

Keywords: adamantane resistance; amantadine; antiviral; influenza virus.

MeSH terms

  • Adamantane / pharmacology*
  • Amino Acid Substitution
  • Antiviral Agents / pharmacology*
  • Australia / epidemiology
  • Drug Resistance, Viral / genetics*
  • Genome, Viral
  • Humans
  • Influenza A Virus, H3N2 Subtype / drug effects*
  • Influenza A Virus, H3N2 Subtype / genetics
  • Influenza A Virus, H3N2 Subtype / isolation & purification
  • Influenza, Human / drug therapy*
  • Influenza, Human / epidemiology
  • Influenza, Human / virology*
  • Phylogeny
  • RNA, Viral
  • Seasons
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA

Substances

  • Antiviral Agents
  • RNA, Viral
  • Adamantane