Subclade K influenza A (H3N2) viruses display partial immune escape with preserved cross-neutralisation in a UK population

medRxiv 2026 Preprint Open access

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Authors: Kieran Dee, Ryan M. Imrie, Laura Mojsiejczuk, Savitha Raveendran, Hanting Chen, Gerardo Guio Archila, Mosab S Aljeri, Verena Schultz, Z. J. Wang, Sarah K. Walsh, Junsen Zhang, Edward C. Hutchinson
+8 more Brian J. Willett, David L. Robertson, Joseph Hughes Hughes, Oscar A. MacLean, Joe Grove, Emma C. Thomson, Christopher J. R. Illingworth, Pablo R. Murcia
DOI: 10.64898/2026.01.27.26344933
Cited by: 4
References: 6

Abstract

ABSTRACT We examined whether the recent emergence of influenza A(H3N2) subclade K, associated with an unusually early influenza season in the Northern hemisphere, was accompanied by a reduction in human population immunity. Using virus neutralisation assays on pre-epidemic human sera collected in May 2025, we found evidence of moderate antigenic drift. Further, vaccines used in the 2024/2025 season induced cross-neutralising immunity. These findings provide timely insight for interpreting recent influenza epidemiology and informing vaccine strain selection.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Influenza Virus Research Studies Respiratory viral infections research interferon and immune responses

Publication details

Journal / source
medRxiv
Publisher
openRxiv
Publication date
29 January 2026
Document type
Preprint