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Comparative Study
. 2007 Feb;13(2):147-9.
doi: 10.1038/nm1529. Epub 2007 Jan 7.

Tropism of avian influenza A (H5N1) in the upper and lower respiratory tract

J M Nicholls  1 , M C W Chan, W Y Chan, H K Wong, C Y Cheung, D L W Kwong, M P Wong, W H Chui, L L M Poon, S W Tsao, Y Guan, J S M Peiris
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Tropism of avian influenza A (H5N1) in the upper and lower respiratory tract

J M Nicholls et al. Nat Med. 2007 Feb.

Abstract

Poor human-to-human transmission of influenza A H5N1 virus has been attributed to the paucity of putative sialic acid alpha2-3 virus receptors in the epithelium of the human upper respiratory tract, and thus to the presumed inability of the virus to replicate efficiently at this site. We now demonstrate that ex vivo cultures of human nasopharyngeal, adenoid and tonsillar tissues can be infected with H5N1 viruses in spite of an apparent lack of these receptors.

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