Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 May 1;4(3):163-70.
doi: 10.1111/j.1750-2659.2009.00127.x.

Serologic survey of swine workers for exposure to H2N3 swine influenza A

Amanda Beaudoin  1 , Marie Gramer, Gregory C Gray, Ana Capuano, Sharon Setterquist, Jeff Bender
Affiliations

Serologic survey of swine workers for exposure to H2N3 swine influenza A

Amanda Beaudoin et al. Influenza Other Respir Viruses. .

Abstract

Background: Of the 16 influenza A hemagglutinin (H) subtypes, only H1, H2 and H3 viruses have been shown to cause sustained human infection. Whereas H1 and H3 viruses currently circulate seasonally in humans, H2 viruses have not been identified in humans since 1968. In 2006, an H2N3 influenza virus was isolated from ill swine in the United States.

Objective: To assess the potential for zoonotic influenza transmission, the current study looked for serologic evidence of H2 influenza infection among workers at two swine facilities, some exposed and some unexposed to H2N3-positive pigs.

Methods: The sera were assessed for antibodies to swine H2 influenza and currently circulating seasonal human influenza A subtypes H1N1 and H3N2. Workers were interviewed to obtain details such as age, influenza vaccination history, experiences of influenza-like-illness, and use of personal protective equipment and hygiene when working with pigs. Exposure and risk factors for positive antibody titers were compared for exposed and unexposed individuals as well as for H2 antibody-positive and H2 antibody-negative individuals.

Results: Blood was taken from 27 swine workers, of whom four had positive H2 antibody titers (> or = 1:40). Three of the positive employees were born before 1968 and one had an unknown birth date. Only one of these workers had been exposed to H2N3-positive pigs, and he was born in 1949.

Conclusions: These data do not support the hypothesis that swine workers were infected with the emergent swine H2N3 influenza A virus.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Swine worker questionnaire.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Swine influenza A (H1N1) infection in two children – Southern California, March–April 2009. Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2009; 58:1–3. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm58d0421a1.htm (Accessed 21 May 2009). - PubMed
    1. Olsen CW, Brown IH, Easterday BC, Van Reeth K. Swine Influenza; in Straw BE, Zimmerman JJ, D’Allaire S, Taylor DJ. (eds): Diseases of Swine, 9th edn Ames, Iowa: Blackwell Publishing, 2006; 469–482.
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Key facts about swine influenza. 2009. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/swineflu/key_facts.htm (Accessed 7 May 2009).
    1. Myers KP, Olsen CW, Gray GC. Cases of swine influenza in humans: a review of the literature. Clin Infect Dis 2007; 44:1084–1088. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Olsen CW, Brammer L, Easterday BC et al. Serologic evidence of H1 swine influenza virus infection in swine farm residents and employees. Emerg Infect Dis 2002; 8:814–819. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Substances