Introduction: As residues at positions 627 and 701 of the polymerase basic protein 2 (
PB2) are considered critical for the mammalian adaptation of avian influenza viruses, several studies have independently shown that single
E627K (glutamic acid to lysine) or
D701N (aspartic acid to asparagine) mutations could increase polymerase activity and viral replication in mammalian cells and the pathogenicity of H7N9 viruses in the BALB/c mouse model.
Introduction: Our findings show that both the
E627K and
D701N mutations occurred in ferrets that had direct contact with infected animals within a few days post-exposure.