Genetic susceptibility and resistance to influenza infection and disease in humans and mice

摘要

Although genetic risk factors for influenza infection have not yet been defined in people,ndifferences in genetic background and related variation in the response to infection, as well asnviral virulence, are all likely to influence both the likelihood of infection and disease severity.nHowever, apart from characterization of viral binding sites in avian and mammalian hosts,nrelatively little investigation has focused on host genetic determinants of susceptibility ornresistance to infection, or the severity of the associated disease in humans or other species.nSimilarly, the role of genetic background in the generation of an efficacious immune responsento either infection or vaccination has not been extensively evaluated. However, geneticninfluences on susceptibility and resistance to numerous infectious agents and on the resultantnhost inflammatory and immune responses are well established in both humans and othernanimals. Mouse-adapted strains of human influenza viruses and the use of inbred strains ofnlaboratory mice have supported extensive characterization of the pathogenesis andnimmunology of influenza virus infections. Like individual humans, inbred strains of mice vary inntheir reactions to influenza infection, particularly with regard to the inflammatory responsenand disease severity, supporting the potential use of these mice as a valuable surrogate fornhuman genetic variation. Relying heavily on what we have learned from mice, this overviewnsummarizes existing animal, human and epidemiologic data suggestive of host geneticninfluences on influenza infection.