Anti-neuraminidase antibodies against pandemic A/H1N1 influenza viruses in healthy and influenza-infected individuals

PLoS One. 2018 May 9;13(5):e0196771. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196771. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

The main objective of the study was to evaluate neuraminidase inhibiting (NI) antibodies against A/H1N1pdm09 influenza viruses in the community as a whole and after infection. We evaluated NI serum antibodies against A/California/07/09(H1N1)pdm and A/South Africa/3626/2013(H1N1)pdm in 134 blood donors of different ages using enzyme-linked lectin assay and in 15 paired sera from convalescents with laboratory confirmed influenza. The neuraminidase (NA) proteins of both A/H1N1pdm09 viruses had minimal genetic divergence, but demonstrated different enzymatic and antigenic properties. 5.2% of individuals had NI antibody titers ≥1:20 against A/South Africa/3626/2013(H1N1)pdm compared to 53% of those who were positive to A/California/07/2009(H1N1)pdm NA. 2% of individuals had detectable NI titers against A/South Africa/3626/13(H1N1)pdm and 47.3% were positive to A/California/07/2009(H1N1)pdm NA among participants negative to hemagglutinin (HA) of A/H1N1pdm09 but positive to seasonal A/H1N1. The lowest NI antibody levels to both A/H1N1pdm09 viruses were detected in individuals born between 1956 and 1968. Our data suggest that NI antibodies against A/South Africa/3626/13 (H1N1)pdm found in the blood donors could have resulted from direct infection with a new antigenic A/H1N1pdm09 variant rather than from cross-reaction as a result of contact with previously circulating seasonal A/H1N1 variants. The immune responses against HA and NA were formed simultaneously right after natural infection with A/H1N1pdm09. NI antibodies correlated with virus-neutralizing antibodies when acquired shortly after influenza infection. A group of middle-aged patients with the lowest level of anti-NA antibodies against A/California/07/2009 (H1N1)pdm was identified, indicating the highest-priority vaccination against A/H1N1pdm09 viruses.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Antibodies, Viral / blood*
  • Antigens, Viral / immunology*
  • Female
  • HN Protein / chemistry
  • HN Protein / immunology*
  • Humans
  • Immunity, Herd
  • Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype / immunology*
  • Influenza, Human / epidemiology
  • Influenza, Human / immunology
  • Influenza, Human / virology*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Models, Molecular
  • Neuraminidase / chemistry
  • Neuraminidase / immunology*
  • Pandemics
  • Phylogeny
  • Protein Conformation
  • Sequence Alignment
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Antigens, Viral
  • HN Protein
  • Neuraminidase

Grants and funding

The authors received no specific funding for this work.