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Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) viruses of the goose/Guangdong (gs/GD) lineage emerged in domestic birds in China in 1996, causing high morbidity and mortality rates in poultry; subsequent zoonotic [...]

A lively, and sometimes heated, debate has recently been conducted in the popular press (1) and medical literature (2-4) about the effectiveness of oseltamivir, its usefulness in treating seasonal influenza, [...]

The neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) oseltamivir and zanamivir have been widely used in many countries to treat infection with influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus. Since the start of the pandemic, [...]

Shorebirds (Charadriiformes) and wild waterfowl (Anseriformes) represent the major natural reservoirs of avian influenza viruses (AIVs). These birds can carry all 16 hemagglutinin (HA) and 9 neuraminidase (NA) subtypes (1); [...]

Respiratory disease in dogs caused by type A influenza virus was first noted in racing greyhounds in Florida in January 2004 (1). This subtype H3N8 virus has a presumptive but [...]

Reported outbreaks of low pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI) viruses of influenza A subtype H10 in poultry are uncommon but have occurred among turkeys and emus in the United States (1,2), [...]

Influenza outbreaks during mass gatherings have been rarely described, and detailed virologic assessment is lacking. An influenza outbreak occurred during World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, July 2008 (WYD2008), We assessed epidemiologic data and respiratory samples collected from attendees who sought treatment for influenza-like illness at emergency clinics in Sydney during this outbreak. Isolated influenza viruses were compared with seasonal influenza viruses from the 2008 influenza season. From 100 infected attendees, numerous strains were identified: oseltamivir-resistant influenza A (H1N1) viruses, oseltamivir-sensitive influenza A (H1N1) viruses, influenza A (H3N2) viruses, and strains from both influenza B lineages (B/FIorida/4/2006-1ike and B/Malaysia/2506/2004-like). Novel viruses were introduced, and pre-WYD2008 seasonal viruses were amplified. Viruses isolated at mass gatherings can have substantial, complex, and unpredictable effects on community influenza activity, Greater flexibility by public health authorities and hospitals is required to appropriately manage and contain these outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]