Isolation of recent variant influenza types A(H3N2), A (H1N1) & B strains in Pune, India.

ABSTRACT

A total of 293 patients with influenza like illness were investigated during the course of continuous surveillance on influenza in Pune, India in 2000. The throat/nasal swab specimens collected from these patients were inoculated in MDCK cell culture and influenza types A(H3N2), A(H1N1) and type B strains were isolated. They were identified as similar to the recently prevalent variant strains; A/Sydney/05/97(H3N2), A/New Caledonia/20/99(H1N1) and B/Sichuan/379/99. The latter two were the new variant strains reported for the first time in Pune. It is important to note that A(H1N1) strains were isolated in Pune during 2000 after a gap of 10 yr.