Author
Hong Bo
Other affiliations: National Health and Family Planning Commission
Bio: Hong Bo is an academic researcher from Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The author has contributed to research in topics: Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 & Virus. The author has an hindex of 14, co-authored 24 publications receiving 1511 citations. Previous affiliations of Hong Bo include National Health and Family Planning Commission.
Papers
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TL;DR: The first human infection with a novel reassortant avian influenza A H10N8 virus is reported, which was isolated from a patient from Nanchang City, China and caused human infection and could have been associated with the death of a patient.
508 citations
TL;DR: It is shown that the emerging H7N9 avian influenza virus poses a potentially high risk to humans, and current seasonal vaccination could not provide protection.
Abstract: Human infection associated with a novel reassortant avian influenza H7N9 virus has recently been identified in China. A total of 132 confirmed cases and 39 deaths have been reported. Most patients presented with severe pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Although the first epidemic has subsided, the presence of a natural reservoir and the disease severity highlight the need to evaluate its risk on human public health and to understand the possible pathogenesis mechanism. Here we show that the emerging H7N9 avian influenza virus poses a potentially high risk to humans. We discover that the H7N9 virus can bind to both avian-type (α2,3-linked sialic acid) and human-type (α2,6-linked sialic acid) receptors. It can invade epithelial cells in the human lower respiratory tract and type II pneumonocytes in alveoli, and replicated efficiently in ex vivo lung and trachea explant culture and several mammalian cell lines. In acute serum samples of H7N9-infected patients, increased levels of the chemokines and cytokines IP-10, MIG, MIP-1β, MCP-1, IL-6, IL-8 and IFN-α were detected. We note that the human population is naive to the H7N9 virus, and current seasonal vaccination could not provide protection.
339 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the antigenic cartography for six representative viruses of four antigenic clusters which were mainly composed of viruses of clade 2 was presented, and an error in the legend of Figure 2 was found.
Abstract: Scientific Reports 7: Article number: 43566; published online: 06 March 2017; updated: 31 May 2018 This Article contains an error in Figure 2, where the antigenic cluster label ‘AH05’ is missing. In addition, this Article contains an error in the legend of Figure 2, “(c) The antigenic cartography for six representative viruses of four antigenic clusters which were mainly composed of viruses of clade 2.
164 citations
TL;DR: A novel, highly pathogenic avian influenza H5n6 virus with a backbone of H5N1 virus acquired from the NA gene from the H6N6 virus has been identified and caused human infection resulting in severe respiratory disease.
157 citations
TL;DR: This study comprehensively analyzed the sequences of HPAI H7N9 viruses from 28 human and 21 environmental samples covering eight provinces in China that were taken from November 2016 to June 2017 and showed that the ancestor virus of the HPAi H7n9 viruses originated in the Yangtze River Delta region.
Abstract: The novel low-pathogenic avian influenza A H7N9 viruses (LPAI H7N9 viruses) have been a threat to public health since their emergence in 2013 because of the high rates of mortality and morbidity that they cause. Recently, highly pathogenic variants of these avian influenza A H7N9 viruses (HPAI H7N9 viruses) have emerged and caused human infections and outbreaks among poultry in mainland China. However, it is still unclear how the HPAI H7N9 virus was generated and how it evolved and spread in China. Here, we show that the ancestor virus of the HPAI H7N9 viruses originated in the Yangtze River Delta region and spread southward to the Pearl River Delta region, possibly through live poultry trade. After introduction into the Pearl River Delta region, the origin LPAI H7N9 virus acquired four amino acid insertions in the hemagglutinin (HA) protein cleavage site and mutated into the HPAI H7N9 virus in late May 2016. Afterward, the HPAI H7N9 viruses further reassorted with LPAI H7N9 or H9N2 viruses locally and generated multiple different genotypes. As of 14 July 2017, the HPAI H7N9 viruses had spread from Guangdong Province to at least 12 other provinces. The rapid geographical expansion and genetic evolution of the HPAI H7N9 viruses pose a great challenge not only to public health but also to poultry production. Effective control measures, including enhanced surveillance, are therefore urgently needed.IMPORTANCE The LPAI H7N9 virus has caused five outbreak waves in humans and was recently reported to have mutated into highly pathogenic variants. It is unknown how the HPAI H7N9 virus originated, evolved, and disseminated in China. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed the sequences of HPAI H7N9 viruses from 28 human and 21 environmental samples covering eight provinces in China that were taken from November 2016 to June 2017. The results show that the ancestor virus of the HPAI H7N9 viruses originated in the Yangtze River Delta region. However, the insertion of four amino acids into the HA protein cleavage site of an LPAI H7N9 virus occurred in late May 2016 in the Pearl River Delta region. The mutated HPAI H7N9 virus further reassorted with LPAI H7N9 or H9N2 viruses that were cocirculating in poultry. Considering the rapid geographical expansion of the HPAI H7N9 viruses, effective control measures are urgently needed.
107 citations
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TL;DR: The phylogenetic analysis suggests that bats might be the original host of this virus, an animal sold at the seafood market in Wuhan might represent an intermediate host facilitating the emergence of the virus in humans.
9,474 citations
TL;DR: Most persons with confirmed H7N9 virus infection had severe lower respiratory tract illness, were epidemiologically unrelated, and had a history of recent exposure to poultry.
Abstract: Background The first identified cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) virus infection in humans occurred in China during February and March 2013. We analyzed data obtained from field investigations to describe the epidemiologic characteristics of H7N9 cases in China identified as of December 1, 2013. Methods Field investigations were conducted for each confirmed case of H7N9 virus infection. A patient was considered to have a confirmed case if the presence of the H7N9 virus was verified by means of real-time reverse-transcriptase–polymerase-chain-reaction assay (RT-PCR), viral isolation, or serologic testing. Information on demographic characteristics, exposure history, and illness timelines was obtained from patients with confirmed cases. Close contacts were monitored for 7 days for symptoms of illness. Throat swabs were obtained from contacts in whom symptoms developed and were tested for the presence of the H7N9 virus by means of real-time RT-PCR. Results Among 139 persons with confirmed H7N9 virus infectio...
613 citations
TL;DR: These findings add to the understanding of the immunopathologic mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and provide potential therapeutic targets and strategies.
Abstract: Background The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 was first reported in Wuhan, December 2019, and continuously poses a serious threat to public health, highlighting the urgent need of identifying biomarkers for disease severity and progression. Objective We sought to identify biomarkers for disease severity and progression of COVID-19. Methods Forty-eight cytokines in the plasma samples from 50 COVID-19 cases including 11 critically ill, 25 severe, and 14 moderate patients were measured and analyzed in combination with clinical data. Results Levels of 14 cytokines were found to be significantly elevated in COVID-19 cases and showed different expression profiles in patients with different disease severity. Moreover, expression levels of IFN-γ–induced protein 10, monocyte chemotactic protein-3, hepatocyte growth factor, monokine-induced gamma IFN, and macrophage inflammatory protein 1 alpha, which were shown to be highly associated with disease severity during disease progression, were remarkably higher in critically ill patients, followed by severe and then the moderate patients. Serial detection of the 5 cytokines in 16 cases showed that continuously high levels were associated with deteriorated progression of disease and fatal outcome. Furthermore, IFN-γ–induced protein 10 and monocyte chemotactic protein-3 were excellent predictors for the progression of COVID-19, and the combination of the 2 cytokines showed the biggest area under the curve of the receiver-operating characteristics calculations with a value of 0.99. Conclusions In this study, we report biomarkers that are highly associated with disease severity and progression of COVID-19. These findings add to our understanding of the immunopathologic mechanisms of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection, and provide potential therapeutic targets and strategies.
504 citations
TL;DR: Improvements have been made recently to enhance immune protection induced by seasonal and pandemic vaccines, and to speed up production in case of a pandemic.
Abstract: Influenza virus infections are a major public health concern and cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Current influenza virus vaccines are an effective countermeasure against infection but need to be reformulated almost every year owing to antigenic drift. Furthermore, these vaccines do not protect against novel pandemic strains, and the timely production of pandemic vaccines remains problematic because of the limitations of current technology. Several improvements have been made recently to enhance immune protection induced by seasonal and pandemic vaccines, and to speed up production in case of a pandemic. Importantly, vaccine constructs that induce broad or even universal influenza virus protection are currently in preclinical and clinical development.
455 citations
TL;DR: These data show that LNP-formulated, modified mRNA vaccines can induce protective immunogenicity with acceptable tolerability profiles, demonstrating robust prophylactic immunity in humans.
442 citations