Deep mutational scanning of H5 hemagglutinin to inform influenza virus surveillance

Short impact summary

Published in 2024 in PLoS Biology, “Deep mutational scanning of H5 hemagglutinin to inform influenza virus surveillance” contributes to understanding influenza A virus mutations. With 58 citations to date and a citing landscape featuring prominent venues like npj Viruses and Nature Communications, the article engages diverse research types including articles and preprints. Although open access status is unknown, uptake is evidenced across virology and influenza-related concepts, highlighting its relevance for virus surveillance and antigenic drift studies.

Full narrative

This article, titled “Deep mutational scanning of H5 hemagglutinin to inform influenza virus surveillance,” was published on November 12, 2024, in PLoS Biology by a multidisciplinary team including researchers from Fred Hutch Cancer Center, University of Washington, University of Pennsylvania, Imperial College London, and other institutions. The author group features notable contributors such as Bernadeta Dadonaite and Jesse D. Bloom, reflecting a broad institutional collaboration across US and UK research centers. The work is positioned at the intersection of biology and virology, addressing influenza virus mutations and surveillance.

The research is grounded in key scientific concepts, prominently biology (score 0.83), hemagglutinin (influenza) (0.78), and virology (0.73), indicating its focus on viral mutation and phenotype characterization. Other concepts such as influenza A virus, mutation, antigenic drift, and neutralization further contextualize the study within viral evolution and immune response research. This conceptual framework situates the work squarely in efforts to understand influenza virus antigenic changes and their implications for public health surveillance.

The article has accrued 58 citations, reflecting recognition within the scientific community. Its citing works span multiple forms, including 29 articles, 18 preprints, and 7 reviews, showing a mix of original research and synthesis. Top citing venues include npj Viruses (3), Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2), Nature Communications (2), and Nature (2), highlighting engagement by leading journals. The dominant citing concepts include virology (21) and influenza A virus subtype H5N1 (19), with the United States contributing 35 citing works, pointing to significant uptake within key influenza research hubs.

Online mentions recorded via Crossref Event Data are limited, with just one newsfeed mention, suggesting modest yet visible public or media footprint shortly after publication. While the event data is sparse, this single newsfeed trace indicates some early communication beyond purely academic channels. Further evidence from a scite report shows 19 total citation statements, with no contradicting citations and one supporting statement, reinforcing a generally favorable scientific reception without controversial or disputing discourse detected so far.

The article’s open access status and a direct publisher landing page are not available, limiting immediate public accessibility assessment. The absence of a best open access full-text link suggests that reuse potential outside subscription or institutional access may be restricted at this time. This could impact the broader dissemination of its findings, particularly outside specialized academic circles or resource-rich institutions.

Considering the citation landscape comprising a substantial number of preprints (18) alongside articles and reviews, the uptake pattern suggests the article is contributing to ongoing, rapidly evolving influenza research dialogues. This distribution, coupled with numerous citing works in high-impact journals such as Nature Communications and PNAS, is consistent with a foundational role for informing subsequent studies on viral mutation and antigenic characterization. Qualitative follow-up via scite or bibliometric analyses could further elucidate the nature and influence of these citations over time.