CDC EID: Clinical Findings for Early Human Cases of Influenza A(H7N9) Virus Infection, Shanghai, China

Volume 19, Number 7—July 2013

Shuihua Lu¹ , Yufang Zheng¹, Tao Li¹, Yunwen Hu¹, Xinian Liu, Xiuhong Xi, Qingguo Chen, Qingle Wang, Ye Cao, Yanbing Wang, Lijun Zhou, Douglas Lowrie, and Jing Bao

Author affiliations: Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Shanghai, China (S. Lu, Y. Zheng, T. Li, Y. Hu, X. Liu, X. Xi, Q. Chen, Q. Wang, Y. Cao, Y. Wang, L. Zhou, D. Lowrie); Henry M Jackson Foundation–Division of AIDS, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA (J. Bao)

 

Abstract

A novel strain of influenza A(H7N9) virus has emerged in China and is causing mild to severe clinical symptoms in infected humans. Some case-patients have died. To further knowledge of this virus, we report the characteristics and clinical histories of 4 early case-patients.

Excerpt (under Discussion):
The benefits of oseltamivir treatment of influenza A(H7N9) virus infections are debatable; for example, case-patients 2 and 3 remained positive for the virus after 9–11 days of oseltamivir treatment (Technical Appendix  [PDF - 310 KB - 3 pages] Table 1). Thus, it is essential to determine whether the virus has developed resistance to oseltamivir. Ineffectiveness of the oral oseltamivir formulations may also have contributed to treatment failure, especially for case-patients 1 and 4: the drug may not have been well absorbed, especially by patients in severe condition. If available in the future, systemic delivery of oseltamivir may be superior.

Full article:  http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/19/7/13-0612_article.htm?s_cid=eid-gDev-email