A commentary on phylogenetic analysis of H5N1 influenza A viruses

Abstract

A recent study based on statistical phylogeography of 192 hemagglutinin and neuraminidase nucleotide sequences of H5N1 influenza A viruses suggested that Guangdong Province of China is the source of multiple H5N1 strains spreading at both regional and international levels.This study is flawed and its conclusions are not justified.Insufficient sampling,sampling bias,possible sequencing errors and the omission of other gene segments from analysis are some of the major concerns.

美國加州大學Robert G.Wallace,Richard H.Lathrop和Walter M.Fitch等人在2007年3月7日電子版(13日正式出版)的PNAS上發表文章,題目是:甲型流感病毒H5N1的系統進化地理學統計分析學(Astatistical phylogeography of influenza A H5N1)。該文發表以后,國內外流感病毒學者對此發生濃厚的興趣,提出了一些對該文的評論。采用先進的生物信息學、數學模型等跨學科的先進方法進行病毒學的研究,特別是用來指導傳染病預防和控制,是值得提倡和鼓勵的,我國科學家應當認真學習;但是任何采用生物信息學方法做出的預測,還須經過病毒學實驗研究的驗證。以下發表的評述,僅供參考。百家爭鳴才有利于科學的進步。