Genetic variants of influenza A/Taiwan/1/86 cocirculating in Canada during the winter of 1986 to 1987.

The first isolate of influenza virus in Canada during the winter of 1986 to 1987 was a genetic variant of A/Taiwan/1/86. This genetic variant type was the predominant strain obtained from several of the western provinces. The variant strains were antigenically indistinguishable from A/Taiwan/1/86 but were remarkably distinct by T1 oligonucleotide mapping. T1 mapping of individual genome segments indicated that the variants evolved from an A/Taiwan/1/86-like virus through the accumulation of point mutation or deletion or insertion events and probably do not contain foreign genes. The relative distribution of genetic variation was approximately equal among the individual genes, with the possible exception of segments 1 or 2 that were analyzed in combination and thus could not be individually associated with the observed variation.