سرواپيدميولوژي ويروس آنفلوآنزا ساب تايپ H9N2 در جمعيت انساني

Seroepidemiology of H9N2 subtype ifluenza A viruses in human population

Aims: Type A influenza subtype H9N2 virus is widespread among domestic poultry. These viruses were recently isolated from human beings in some countries and in several cases mortality has been reported. Since these viruses are prevalent in henhouses of our country and possibility of their transmission to the staff, this study aimed to determine the titer of the specific antibody against H9N2 influenza virus in serum sample of henhouse staff in Azerbaijan-Sharghi province. Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 96 henhouse employees who were selected by census sampling method in Azerbaijan-Sharghi province in year 2008. The titer of specific antibody against H9N2 influenza virus was determined by hemagglutination-inhibition test. Hemagglutination-inhibition titers Equal to or more than 1:40 were considered as positive. Results: Hemagglutination-inhibition assay in 79 cases (82%) indicated negative result and 17 cases (18%) of them indicated positive result. Conclusion: Although in this study specific antibody titer against H9N2 influenza virus is not significantly high, the results confirmed that a previous infection with H9N2 had occurred in the studied employees. However, it is recommended that for prevention of serious mutations outbreaks, the henhouse employees asked to follow and obey sanitary rules against Type A influenza subtype H9N2 infection. Keywords: Type A