There have been several cases of human infection with the H3N8 avian influenza virus in China, with one patient succumbing to pneumonia due to the infection in March. A recent study published in the renowned scientific journal Cell revealed that human isolates of the H3N8 virus can be transmitted through the air among ferrets. This is just one step away from breaking the barrier of inter-human transmission; thus, close monitoring is necessary.
The researchers utilized laboratory-cultivated human respiratory organoid models to investigate the infectivity of the H3N8 virus in humans. The results revealed that the H3N8 virus can infect and replicate in human bronchial and lung epithelial cells. Furthermore, the infectivity of the human-isolated virus is significantly higher than that of the avian-origin virus, leading to severe pneumonia and viral encephalitis.
