Zolotarova O. The whole-genome analysis of pandemic influenza viruses for early etiological forecast of epidemics in Ukraine

The influenza A(H1N1)pdm2009 (H1N1/2009) virus that emerged in humans during March and early April 2009 spread rapidly among humans to develop into the first human influenza pandemic in over 40 years. Every year, flu viruses cause epidemics that cause fewer diseases than a pandemic, but cause large numbers of hospitalizations and deaths in both adults and children. The variability of viruses is caused by their constant genetic changes due to mutations that occur in each of the genes. WHO guidelines for vaccine composition are based on phylogenetic and immunological analyzes of influenza viruses from previous epidemic seasons. However, phylogenetic analysis is usually limited to the analysis of only the nucleotide sequences of hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes. New studies are increasingly using the analysis of the full genome of influenza viruses, which can shed new light on the evolution of viruses and the process of selection of vaccine strains.