Influenza viruses evolve rapidly and newly emerging strains can cause pandemics in human and animal populations. The One Health Influenza project aims to coordinate the study of human, avian, and swine influenza viruses to better understand the genetic evolution of influenza, to determine how cross-species transmission occurs, and to improve influenza surveillance.
Human influenza pandemics occur when a new strain enters circulation for which the population has little to no immunity. New strains can come from an evolved form of an avian or swine influenza virus, or from a unique combination of influenza genes.
In BC, there are public health programs to surveil influenza strains in humans and birds; however, both could be improved using next-generation sequencing technology. We are developing a method to systematically sequence influenza viruses and create a standardized database that can be used to analyze cross-species data. Ultimately, gaining a more comprehensive view of influenza viruses will allow for the creation of more effective influenza vaccines, inform biosafety practices on the prevention of cross-species transmission, aid in threat detection, and improve influenza surveillance practices in BC.