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Persistent Infection of Human Lung Cells with Influenza Virus

Abstract

INFLUENZA has long been considered to be of relatively short duration in the infected individual1. The optimal period for isolating the virus from the upper respiratory tract is reported to be during the first 48 h of the disease2, and viral antigen is not detectable in these cells beyond 8 days after infection3. These reports, coupled with the general failure to isolate influenza virus from normal individuals between epidemics, suggest that the period of association between influenza virus and its host cell is relatively short, and that the virus is eliminated rapidly. Studies involving the infection of avian lung cells have, however, shown that not all infected cells are killed, and that some cells continue to release virus for prolonged periods4. We now have evidence that influenza virus can persistently infect human lung cells, infectious virus being released from the cells for up to 7 weeks after initial infection.

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WILKINSON, P., BORLAND, R. Persistent Infection of Human Lung Cells with Influenza Virus. Nature 238, 153–155 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1038/238153a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/238153a0

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