An alternative neutralization assay for H5N1 influenza A virus using retroviral pseudotypes

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The main protection against infection by influenza viruses is the presence of virus neutralizing antibodies in the blood. People who have recovered from flu have neutralizing antibodies to that strain of influenza virus, and effective flu jabs elicit similar protective antibodies. To aid the development and testing of vaccines against the new, deadly H5N1 influenza virus, we shall refine a novel neutralization test that uses an artificially constructed, harmless virus-like particle in place of the harmful influenza virus itself. Our test should be simple to use and will not require a high containment laboratory. It should offer a means to compare variation between sub-strains of H5N1 influenza viruses from different locations, and to evaluate whether candidate vaccines protect against all sub-strains. It may also offer a method to test candidate drugs that block influenza virus getting into cells.