Biochemical and antigenic analysis using monoclonal antibodies of a series of influenza A (H3N2) and (H1N1) virus reassortants

Reassortant influenza A viruses with high growth capacity in eggs and suitable as candidate vaccine strains or as standard reagents for influenza HA quantification were prepared using the high yielding A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) as one parent and a number of ‘wild’ strains of influenza A (H1N1) or (H3N2) viruses as the other parent. The genetic and antigenic composition of the reassortants was determined. The parental derivation of genes in the reassortants was established by electrophoretic analysis of virus RNA and virus induced polypeptides. The haemagglutinin (HA) antigens of the three H1N1 viruses (NIB-6, NIB-7 and NIB-12) were found to resemble those of the parental viruses when tested against a panel of monoclonal antibodies and using the HI test. A similar correspondence between the antigenic characteristics of the HA of the influenza A (H3N2) reassortants (NIB-1, NIB-4, NIB-5, NIB-8 and NIB-11) and parental viruses was noted. Therefore laboratory manipulations to produce the reassortants did not result in the selection of significant antigenic variants.