Qu Z(1), Ma S(1), Kong H(1), Deng G(1), Shi J(1), Liu L(1), Suzuki Y(2), Chen H(3).Microbes Infect. 2017 Sep 23. pii: S1286-4579(17)30152-1. doi:10.1016/j.micinf.2017.09.008.

Abstract

Binding exclusively to human-type receptors is a prerequisite for avian influenza viruses to transmit from human to human. We previously reported that 34% of H6 avian influenza viruses recognize the human-type receptor, but their affinity for the avian-type receptor remains higher than that for the human-type receptor.Here, we found that a single amino acid change from glutamine to leucine at position 226 of hemagglutinin caused a switch in receptor-binding preference from avian-type to human-type receptors and rendered A/chicken/Guangdong/S1312/2010(H6N2) capable of respiratory droplet transmission in guinea pigs.