History
H3N8 was suspected of causing a human influenza pandemic in either 1889 or 1900. Sources differ; some say the 1889 pandemic was caused by H2N2. The experts also differ on exactly how sure we can be if either were even involved.
A 1997 study found H3N8 was responsible for over one quarter of the influenza infections in wild ducks. In 1963, the H3N8 (A/equine/2/Miami/63) subtype created an epidemic of equine influenza in Miami and subsequently spread throughout North and South America and Europe, creating massive outbreaks during 1964 and 1965. Since 1963, the H3N8 virus has drifted along a single lineage at a rate of 0.8 amino acid substitutions per year. Between 1978 and 1981, there were widespread epidemics of the A/equine/2 strain throughout the USA and Europe despite the development of vaccines. Since the late 1980s, evolution of the H3N8 virus has diverged into two families: an "American-like" lineage and a "European-like" lineage.
Read more about this topic: Influenza A Virus Subtype H3N8
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