1. Detection of Avian Influenza A(H7N2) Virus Infection Among Animal Shelter Workers Using a Novel Serological Approach—New York City, 2016–2017
- Author
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Sally Slavinski, Fiona Havers, Alicia M. Fry, Vanessa Boshuizen, Rebekah J Stewart, L Hannah Gould, Kate Russell, Jennifer L. Rakeman, Aldo Crossa, Zhu-Nan Li, Sophia Chiu, Liaini Gross, Eugenie Poirot, Feng Liu, Min Z. Levine, Justine Pompey, Christopher T Lee, and Scott A. Harper
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,0301 basic medicine ,Cross Reactions ,Antibodies, Viral ,medicine.disease_cause ,Virus ,Disease Outbreaks ,Serology ,Birds ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Orthomyxoviridae Infections ,Seroepidemiologic Studies ,Zoonoses ,Influenza, Human ,Sore throat ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Immunology and Allergy ,Seroprevalence ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Aged ,business.industry ,Transmission (medicine) ,Outbreak ,Middle Aged ,Influenza A Virus, H7N2 Subtype ,Virology ,Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 ,Titer ,030104 developmental biology ,Infectious Diseases ,Influenza in Birds ,Cats ,Female ,New York City ,medicine.symptom ,business - Abstract
Background In 2016, an influenza A(H7N2) virus outbreak occurred in cats in New York City's municipal animal shelters. One human infection was initially detected. Methods We conducted a serological survey using a novel approach to rule out cross-reactive antibodies to other seasonal influenza viruses to determine whether additional A(H7N2) human infections had occurred and to assess exposure risk. Results Of 121 shelter workers, one had serological evidence of A(H7N2) infection, corresponding to a seroprevalence of 0.8% (95% confidence interval, .02%-4.5%). Five persons exhibited low positive titers to A(H7N2) virus, indicating possible infection; however, we could not exclude cross-reactive antibody responses to seasonal influenza viruses. The remaining 115 persons were seronegative. The seropositive person reported multiple direct cat exposures without using personal protective equipment and mild illness with subjective fever, runny nose, and sore throat. Conclusions We identified a second case of A(H7N2) infection from this outbreak, providing further evidence of cat-to-human transmission of A(H7N2) virus.
- Published
- 2018
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