Pathogenicity and transmissibility assessment of two strains of human influenza virus isolated in China in 2018

Objective Influenza season occurs every year in China, but its presentation was unusual in the period from December 2017 to early 2018. During this period, influenza activity was increasing across the country and was much greater than during the same period in previous years, with great harm to people’s health. Methods In this study, we isolated two human influenza virus strains—A/Hebei/F076/2018(H1N1) and B/Hebei/16275B/2018—from patients with severe influenza in Hebei, China, during the flu season in January 2018, and explored their genetic characteristics, pathogenicity, and transmissibility. Results A/Hebei/F076/2018(H1N1) belongs to the human-like H1N1 influenza virus lineage, whereas B/Hebei/16275B/2018 belongs to the Victoria lineage and is closely related to the World Health Organization reference strain B/Brisbane/60/2008. Pathogenicity tests revealed that A/Hebei/F076/2018(H1N1) replicated much more strongly in mice, with mice exhibiting 40% mortality, whereas B/Hebei/16275B/2018 was not lethal. Both viruses could be transmitted through direct contact and by the aerosol route between guinea pigs, but the H1N1 strain exhibited higher airborne transmissibility. Conclusions These results may contribute to the monitoring of influenza mutation and the prevention of an influenza outbreak.