Transmission and pathologic findings of divergent human seasonal
H1N1pdm09 influenza A viruses following spillover into pigs in the
United States
Abstract
Background: The H1N1 pandemic (H1N1pdm09) lineage of influenza A viruses
(IAV) emerged in North America in 2009 and caused a human influenza
pandemic. It spread rapidly due to efficient transmission and the
limited immunity in humans, replacing the previous human seasonal H1.
Human-to-swine transmission of H1N1pdm09 IAV has since contributed to
genetic diversity in pigs. While most were not sustained, approximately
160 spillovers persisted in pigs for at least one year and reassorted
with other endemic swine IAVs in most cases. Methods: We sought to
identify how transmission and reassortment with endemic IAV viruses in
swine impact virus traits and zoonotic risk in this study. We conducted
a swine pathogenesis and transmission study using four swine H1N1pdm09
viruses derived from different human influenza seasons that had acquired
different gene segment combinations after spillovers into swine. To
assess antigenic evolution, we compared the selected swine H1N1pdm09
strains against each other and to five human seasonal H1 vaccine
strains. Results: Ongoing circulation and reassortment resulted in
viruses with variable virulence, shedding, and transmission kinetics.
The H1N1pdm09 viruses retained antigenic similarities with the human
vaccine strain of the same season of incursion but showed increasing
antigenic distances with human seasonal H1N1 vaccine strains from other
seasons. Conclusions: Human seasonal H1N1 viruses are capable of
replicating and transmitting in swine, and there is potential for these
human-to-swine spillovers to reassort with endemic swine IAV.
Controlling IAV at the human-swine interface has the benefit of reducing
IAV burden in swine and subsequent zoonotic risk.