A risk marker of tribasic hemagglutinin cleavage site in influenza A (H9N2) virus

Abstract

Jiahao Zhang, Kaixiong Ma, and Bo Li et al. identify a variant of the H9N2 avian influenza virus within the hemagglutinin cleavage site required for viral infection. They show that this variant leads to higher viral replication in cells and more virulent disease in both chickens and mice.