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Seroprevalence of avian influenza H9N2 among poultry workers in Shandong Province, China

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Abstract

H9N2 avian influenza virus has been circulating widely in birds, with occasional infection among humans. Poultry workers are considered to be at high risk of infection with avian influenza due to their frequent exposure to chickens, but the frequency of H9N2 avian influenza virus infections among them is still indistinct. This study was carried out in order to identify the seroprevalence of H9N2 avian influenza virus among poultry workers in Shandong, China. During the period from December 2011 to February 2012, a total of 482 subjects took part in this study, including 382 poultry workers and 100 healthy residents without occupational poultry exposure. Serum samples were collected and tested for the presence of antibodies against H9N2 avian influenza virus by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) and microneutralization (MN) assays. Nine subjects (9/382 = 2.3 %) were positive for antibodies against H9N2 avian influenza virus among poultry workers by either HI or MN assays using ≥40 cut-off, while none of the 100 healthy residents were seropositive. In conclusion, our study identified H9N2 avian influenza infections among poultry workers in Shandong, China, and continuous surveillance of H9N2 avian influenza virus infection in humans should be carried out to evaluate the threat to public health.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for the help of Shandong Center for Disease Control and Prevention for its assistance. This study was supported by Projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31270172) (30871865), Chinese International Cooperation Program (2009DFA32890), Shandong Provincial Family Planning Commission Program (2006-2), Shandong Provincial Department of Education Program (J06L27), a Project of the National Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province, China (Y2007C126), and a Project of the Shandong Province Science & Technology Development Plan (2010GSF10282).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Daizong Street 61, 271018, Tai’an, Shandong, China

    R. Huang, A.-R. Wang, Z.-H. Liu, W. Liang, X.-X. Li & T.-J. Chai

  2. Sino-German Cooperative Research Centre for Zoonosis of Animal Origin Shandong Province, Tai’an, Shandong, China

    R. Huang, A.-R. Wang, Z.-H. Liu, W. Liang, X.-X. Li & T.-J. Chai

  3. Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention of Shandong Province, Tai’an, Shandong, China

    R. Huang, A.-R. Wang, Z.-H. Liu, W. Liang, X.-X. Li & T.-J. Chai

  4. College of Life Sciences, Taishan Medical University, Tai’an, Shandong, China

    Y.-J. Tang & Z.-M. Miao

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  1. R. Huang
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  2. A.-R. Wang
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  3. Z.-H. Liu
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  4. W. Liang
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Correspondence to Z.-M. Miao or T.-J. Chai.

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Huang, R., Wang, AR., Liu, ZH. et al. Seroprevalence of avian influenza H9N2 among poultry workers in Shandong Province, China. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 32, 1347–1351 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-013-1888-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-013-1888-7

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