WHO - World Health Organization

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Availability of a new A(H5N1) candidate vaccine virus (clade 2.3.2.1)

16 January 2012

IDCDC-RG-30

A new recombinant influenza A(H5N1) candidate vaccine virus has been developed from A/Hubei/1/2010 (H5N1), a clade 2.3.2.1 virus, by the WHO Collaborating Center for Reference and Research on Influenza, Centre for Disease Control, Beijing, China and the WHO Collaborating Center for the Surveillance, Epidemiology and Control of Influenza, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, USA, of the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS).

The new candidate vaccine virus named A/Hubei/1/2010(H5N1)-PR8-IDCDC-RG30 is available for distribution on request. Relevant provisions of the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework for the sharing of influenza viruses and access to vaccines and other benefits (the "PIP Framework"), adopted in May 2011 by the World Health Assembly through resolution 64.5, will apply to shipments, use and handling of this virus. The sequence of haemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes of A/Hubei/1/2010(H5N1) can be found on a NCBI public website:
• HA Genbank CY098758
• NA Genbank CY098760
The cleavage motif of the wild type HA was modified from PQRERRRKR↓GLF to PQGETR↓GLF in A/Hubei/1/2010(H5N1)-PR8-IDCDC-RG30 , to resemble that of low pathogenicity avian viruses. The HA gene sequence of the recombinant candidate vaccine virus can be found at the NCBI public website:
• HA Genbank CY103897

Institutions, companies and others, who wish to receive this candidate vaccine virus, should contact either the GISRS at WHO Headquarters at [e-mail], or one of the WHO Collaborating Centres of GISRS at the addresses below:
Dr Yuelong Shu
National Influenza Center
National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, China CDC
155 Changbai Road
Changping District
Beijing 10226
China
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
Dr Ruben Donis
Influenza Division
NCIRD/OID
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US CDC
1600 Clifton Rd., MS G-16
Atlanta, GA 30333
United States of America
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

The WHO GISRS has been closely monitoring the evolution of influenza viruses infecting humans. Countries are encouraged to share with WHO their specimens and/or virus isolates, both from humans and animals in order to be included in the selection and development of candidate vaccine viruses for pandemic preparedness purposes.

www.who.int/influenza/vaccines/virus/candidates_reagents/a_h5n1_idcdc-rg-30/en/index.html

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Updated unified nomenclature system for the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza viruses

October 2011




Technical Resources and Current Trees/Alignments
Conceptual Diagram of ongoing H5N1 evolution
pdf, 109kb
Full tree (January, 2011)
pdf, 305kb
Small tree (January, 2011)
pdf, 776kb
H5N1 HQ nucleotide sequence alignment - small tree (January 2011)
txt, 345kb
.

Archived Trees/Alignments -
2009 Materials


Full tree (January, 2009)
pdf, 417kb
Small tree (January, 2009)
pdf, 560kb
Clade 2.2 tree (January, 2009)
pdf, 978kb
Letter to Editor regarding clade 2.2 divergence, ISIRV Journal, February 2009
pdf, 115kb
H5N1 HA nucleotide sequence alignment - updated full tree
txt, 3.02Mb
H5N1 HA nucleotide sequence alignment - updated small tree
txt, 210kb

.

Archived Trees/Alignments -
2007 Materials


WHO/OIE/FAO H5N1 Evolution Working Group, Poster presented at Options meeting, Toronto, 2007
ppt, 483kb
Phylogenetic tree from Evolution Working Group poster (2007)
pdf, 54kb
Small Phylogenetic tree from the Evolution Working Group Poster (2007)
pdf, 21kb
H5N1 HA nucleotide sequence alignment - original big tree
txt, 1.53Mb
H5N1 HA nucleotide sequence alignment - original small tree
txt, 283kb

LINKS:

www.who.int/influenza/vaccines/virus/candidates_reagents/a_h5n1_idcdc-rg-30/en/index.html

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WHO extends delay of publication of H5N1 research

20-Feb-2012

The World Health Organisation has decided to extend a temporary moratorium on research into laboratory modified versions of the H5N1 ‘bird flu’ virus.

Scientists in the Netherlands and the US have created versions of the H5N1 virus, which could potentially spread more easily among humans.

By using ferrets in a laboratory, the researchers proved it was possible to change H5N1 into an aerosol-transmissable virus that could be spread rapidly through the air.

The Erasmus University study in the Netherlands and the other by scientists at the University of Wisconsin alerted the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSBB), which argued that the research could be used by terrorists to set up a biological attack using the virus.

The researchers were planning to publish their research in the journals Science and Nature, but have now agreed to redact their manuscripts at the request of the NSBB.

A Geneva, Switzerland meeting of 22 scientists and journal representatives agreed that delayed publication of the full research would have more public health benefit than publishing it in part.

‘Given the high death rate associated with this virus – 60% of all humans who have been infected have died – all participants at the meeting emphasised the high level of concern with this flu virus in the scientific community and the need to understand it better with additional research,’ said Dr Keiji Fukuda, assistant director-general of Health Security and Environment for the World Health Organisation.

‘The results of this new research have made it clear that H5N1 viruses have the potential to transmit more easily between people, underscoring the critical importance for continued surveillance and research with this virus.’

Fukuda added: ‘There is a preference from a public health perspective for full disclosure of the information in these two studies. However there are significant public concern issues surrounding this research that should first be addressed.’

The WHO said experts would now look at what information is already in the public domain and how that relates to the contents of these research papers.

A further meeting is likely to take place in a couple of months’ time.