Relative Frequency of Influenza A/H۱N۱ Virus in Guilan Province, Iran

Background and Aims: Influenza A/H۱N۱, the cause of an acute respiratory illness, undergoes genetic changes every few years, resulting in a new subtype with new surface antigenic structure. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of influenza A/H۱N۱ virus among specimens collected from patients with influenza symptoms who were admitted to educational and training hospitals in Guilan province, Iran. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on upper respiratory tract discharges of patients with influenza symptoms in the counties of Guilan province, using Real-Time PCR technique in Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases Research Center of Gilan University of Medical Sciences in ۲۰۱۵. The Fishers Exact Test or chi-square χ)۲( was used for data analysis. Results: From ۱۰۸ patients with influenza symptoms, ۵۸ (۵۳/۷%) were female. The age range of patients was between ۱-۷۸ years old. The results showed that only ۴ (۳/۷%) patients were positive for A/H۱N۱virus (۳ male and ۱ female). This included a male who was admitted with pneumonia and expired later.   Conclusions: Influenza virus A/H۱N۱ is a mutant virus, the genetic evolution in which is constantly occurring and new subtypes can, therefore, re-infect the community. It is thus imperative that vaccination is done to prevent against novel strains of influenza.

Keywords:

Influenza virus subtype A/H۱N۱ , Acute upper respiratory disease , Real time PCR , Prevalence. , ویروس آنفلوانزای ساب تایپA/H۱N۱ , بیماری حاد تنفسی , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction , شیوع