Toronto re-emergence of 4th PF11 Neuraminidase Permutation at positions 106 and 248

A/Toronto/R8564, sampled 2009-07-06, rescues the 4th permutation of the NA Dual Combination at amino acid positions 106 and 248.  The PF11 sequence demonstrates 106V and 248D, a combination that was previously found only once within ΣPF11, early in the pandemic in April 2009, A/Auckland/4. 

This re-emergence of the permutation returns a 4th version of the NA Dual Combination to activity on PF11.

The TorontoR8564 NA is an exact amino acid match to the Auckland4 sequence from April.  The certain interchange that occurs between the two cities on a regular basis would lead us to investigate for re-assortment potential.  However, re-assortment is impeached from this investigation due to the 2 polymorphisms at the nucleotide level:

Several Auckland sequences carry the G76A.

G355A is found in only 14 worldwide ΣPF11 strains:  Toronto, China, Japan, Spain, Australia and 5 in the Southern United States.

The N1 backgrounds are widening in a fashion suggestive of non-random genetic acquisition with this completion of the permutation set concerning the NA Dual Combination at positions 106 and 248.

Please visit GeneWurx.com for insight into the latest published studies.