Serological survey on antibody to H6 subtypes of avian influenza A virus among medical college students in Guangxi of China and Hue of Vietnam

Objective To investigate the infection of subtype H6 influenza viruses among freshmen of Guangxi medical university and Hue medical university,and to explore the status and trends of influenza pandemic.Methods A total of 500 serum samples were collected from the freshmen of Guangxi Medical University and Hue Medical University registered in 2010 and antibodies to H6 subtypes of avian influenza virus were detected by Hemagglutination-inhibition(HI) test.Results The positive results of antibodies to H6 in Guangxi and Hue accounted for 6.00% and 7.20% respectively,with no significant statistical difference between them(P0.05).The positive response of antibodies among male students was higher than female students in Guangxi Medical University.Most titers of H6 antibodies in all students were less than 1∶ 40.Conclusion Some of the medical freshmen of Guangxi and Hue Medical University have been infected by H6 subtype of avian influenza A virus.These findings imply the importance of systematic surveillance of H6 subtype in humans in the two regions.