Limited Replication of Zoonotic-Like Avian H3N8 Virus in Human Bronchus and Lung: Study

A recent study published in the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Emerging Infectious Disease journal suggests that the zoonotic-like avian H3N8 virus has limited efficiency for human-to-human transmission and is unlikely to cause severe disease in humans. The study, titled “Replication of Novel Zoonotic-Like Influenza A(H3N8) Virus in Ex Vivo Human Bronchus and Lung,” found that the H3N8 virus showed limited replication in explant cultures of lung and bronchial tissue compared to other human and avian influenza viruses. The researchers isolated the novel H3N8 virus from chickens and concluded that the virus has not yet successfully adapted to mammalian hosts. While the risk of potential zoonotic infections from reassortments between avian influenza viruses among domesticated and wild birds continues, these findings suggest that the ability of the H3N8 virus to transmit between humans is limited and that it is unlikely to cause severe diseases.