| dc.description.abstract | Influenza D is a recently discovered virus, first collected in April of 2011 from
nasal swabs of swine. It was soon discovered that the natural hosts of the virus were
cattle, a species that is not susceptible to other subtypes of Influenza. Influenza D
is closely related to Influenza C,both using the HEF-protein for attachment, in contrast
to the HA protein Influenza A and Influenza B possess. The receptor the virus
needs to enter the cell are 9-O-Acytelated Sialic Acids. To study the localization
of the receptor of this new virus tissue micro arrays (TMAs) were made from the
bovine respiratory tract and the bovine gastrointestinal tract. The initial attempts
to produce HEF recombinantly were unsuccessful. Though unable to use IDV HEF
to localize its receptor 9-O-Acetylated Sialic Acids, lectin stainings developed for
Influenza A have been performed on the produced TMAs to visualize sialic acid
presence. In performed lectin stainings mucus in both the bovine respiratory as
gastrointestinal tract was found to contain contain 2,3- linked and 2,6-linked sialic
acids. One of the liver sections tested positive for 2,6-linked sialic acids. A staining
with an H1 Influenza A virus showed no attachment to bovine respiratory epithelium. | |
