Transcriptional profile from peripheral blood in patients infected with avian influenza H7N9 virus. Transcriptional profile from peripheral blood in patients infected with avian influenza H7N9 virus

Avian influenza A (H7N9) viruses have emerged in China in 2013 and caused zoonotic disease associated with a case-fatality ratio of over 30%. Transcriptional profile from peripheral blood has been shown to reflect host responses against a specific respiratory pathogen and can be used to understand the disease. Methods: We correlated the clinical data and blood transcriptomic profile of patients with avian influenza A (H7N9) disease and determined the biological significance of the infection from the analysis. Overall design: Eight patients diagnosed with laboratory-confirmed avian influenza A (H7N9) virus infection at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from 2014 to 2016 were included in this study. The peripheral whole blood samples was collected at multiple time-points for each patient post-infection.