scholarly journals Characterization of Low-Pathogenicity H5N1 Avian Influenza Viruses from North America

2007 ◽  
Vol 81 (21) ◽  
pp. 11612-11619 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erica Spackman ◽  
David E. Swayne ◽  
David L. Suarez ◽  
Dennis A. Senne ◽  
Janice C. Pedersen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Avian Influenza ◽  
North American ◽  
Wild Bird ◽  
Geographic Origin ◽  
Influenza Viruses ◽  
Highly Pathogenic ◽  
Infectious Dose ◽  
Antigenic Relatedness

ABSTRACT Wild-bird surveillance in North America for avian influenza (AI) viruses with a goal of early identification of the Asian H5N1 highly pathogenic AI virus has identified at least six low-pathogenicity H5N1 AI viruses between 2004 and 2006. The hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes from all 6 H5N1 viruses and an additional 38 North American wild-bird-origin H5 subtype and 28 N1 subtype viruses were sequenced and compared with sequences available in GenBank by phylogenetic analysis. Both HA and NA were phylogenetically distinct from those for viruses from outside of North America and from those for viruses recovered from mammals. Four of the H5N1 AI viruses were characterized as low pathogenicity by standard in vivo pathotyping tests. One of the H5N1 viruses, A/MuteSwan/MI/451072-2/06, was shown to replicate to low titers in chickens, turkeys, and ducks. However, transmission of A/MuteSwan/MI/451072-2/06 was more efficient among ducks than among chickens or turkeys based on virus shed. The 50% chicken infectious dose for A/MuteSwan/MI/451072-2/06 and three other wild-waterfowl-origin H5 viruses were also determined and were between 105.3 and 107.5 50% egg infective doses. Finally, seven H5 viruses representing different phylogenetic clades were evaluated for their antigenic relatedness by hemagglutination inhibition assay, showing that the antigenic relatedness was largely associated with geographic origin. Overall, the data support the conclusion that North American H5 wild-bird-origin AI viruses are low-pathogenicity wild-bird-adapted viruses and are antigenically and genetically distinct from the highly pathogenic Asian H5N1 virus lineage.

scholarly journals Novel Highly Pathogenic Avian A(H5N2) and A(H5N8) Influenza Viruses of Clade 2.3.4.4 from North America Have Limited Capacity for Replication and Transmission in Mammals

mSphere ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan S. Kaplan ◽  
Marion Russier ◽  
Trushar Jeevan ◽  
Bindumadhav Marathe ◽  
Elena A. Govorkova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Avian Influenza ◽  
North American ◽  
Influenza Viruses ◽  
Morbidity And Mortality ◽  
Avian Influenza Viruses ◽  
Highly Pathogenic ◽  
The North ◽  
Domestic Poultry ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT Highly pathogenic H5 influenza viruses have been introduced into North America from Asia, causing extensive morbidity and mortality in domestic poultry. The introduced viruses have reassorted with North American avian influenza viruses, generating viral genotypes not seen on other continents. The experiments and analyses presented here were designed to assess the impact of this genetic diversification on viral phenotypes, particularly as regards mammalian hosts, by comparing the North American viruses with their Eurasian precursor viruses. Highly pathogenic influenza A(H5N8) viruses from clade 2.3.4.4 were introduced to North America by migratory birds in the fall of 2014. Reassortment of A(H5N8) viruses with avian viruses of North American lineage resulted in the generation of novel A(H5N2) viruses with novel genotypes. Through sequencing of recent avian influenza viruses, we identified PB1 and NP gene segments very similar to those in the viruses isolated from North American waterfowl prior to the introduction of A(H5N8) to North America, highlighting these bird species in the origin of reassortant A(H5N2) viruses. While they were highly virulent and transmissible in poultry, we found A(H5N2) viruses to be low pathogenic in mice and ferrets, and replication was limited in both hosts compared with those of recent highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 viruses. Molecular characterization of the hemagglutinin protein from A(H5N2) viruses showed that the receptor binding preference, cleavage, and pH of activation were highly adapted for replication in avian species and similar to those of other 2.3.4.4 viruses. In addition, North American and Eurasian clade 2.3.4.4 H5NX viruses replicated to significantly lower titers in differentiated normal human bronchial epithelial cells than did seasonal human A(H1N1) and highly pathogenic A(H5N1) viruses isolated from a human case. Thus, despite their having a high impact on poultry, our findings suggest that the recently emerging North American A(H5N2) viruses are not expected to pose a substantial threat to humans and other mammals without further reassortment and/or adaptation and that reassortment with North American viruses has not had a major impact on viral phenotype. IMPORTANCE Highly pathogenic H5 influenza viruses have been introduced into North America from Asia, causing extensive morbidity and mortality in domestic poultry. The introduced viruses have reassorted with North American avian influenza viruses, generating viral genotypes not seen on other continents. The experiments and analyses presented here were designed to assess the impact of this genetic diversification on viral phenotypes, particularly as regards mammalian hosts, by comparing the North American viruses with their Eurasian precursor viruses.

scholarly journals The enigma of the apparent disappearance of Eurasian highly pathogenic H5 clade 2.3.4.4 influenza A viruses in North American waterfowl

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (32) ◽  
pp. 9033-9038 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Krauss ◽  
David E. Stallknecht ◽  
Richard D. Slemons ◽  
Andrew S. Bowman ◽  
Rebecca L. Poulson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
North America ◽  
North American ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Wild Bird ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Influenza Viruses ◽  
Influenza A Viruses ◽  
Highly Pathogenic

One of the major unresolved questions in influenza A virus (IAV) ecology is exemplified by the apparent disappearance of highly pathogenic (HP) H5N1, H5N2, and H5N8 (H5Nx) viruses containing the Eurasian hemagglutinin 2.3.4.4 clade from wild bird populations in North America. The introduction of Eurasian lineage HP H5 clade 2.3.4.4 H5N8 IAV and subsequent reassortment with low-pathogenic H?N2 and H?N1 North American wild bird-origin IAVs in late 2014 resulted in widespread HP H5Nx IAV infections and outbreaks in poultry and wild birds across two-thirds of North America starting in November 2014 and continuing through June 2015. Although the stamping out strategies adopted by the poultry industry and animal health authorities in Canada and the United States—which included culling, quarantining, increased biosecurity, and abstention from vaccine use—were successful in eradicating the HP H5Nx viruses from poultry, these activities do not explain the apparent disappearance of these viruses from migratory waterfowl. Here we examine current and historical aquatic bird IAV surveillance and outbreaks of HP H5Nx in poultry in the United States and Canada, providing additional evidence of unresolved mechanisms that restrict the emergence and perpetuation of HP avian influenza viruses in these natural reservoirs.

scholarly journals Evidence for the Introduction, Reassortment, and Persistence of Diverse Influenza A Viruses in Antarctica

2016 ◽  
Vol 90 (21) ◽  
pp. 9674-9682 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aeron C. Hurt ◽  
Yvonne C. F. Su ◽  
Malet Aban ◽  
Heidi Peck ◽  
Hilda Lau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Influenza Virus ◽  
North America ◽  
Avian Influenza ◽  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
North American ◽  
Influenza Viruses ◽  
Highly Pathogenic ◽  
Recent Introduction ◽  
The Antarctic

ABSTRACTAvian influenza virus (AIV) surveillance in Antarctica during 2013 revealed the prevalence of evolutionarily distinct influenza viruses of the H11N2 subtype in Adélie penguins. Here we present results from the continued surveillance of AIV on the Antarctic Peninsula during 2014 and 2015. In addition to the continued detection of H11 subtype viruses in a snowy sheathbill during 2014, we isolated a novel H5N5 subtype virus from a chinstrap penguin during 2015. Gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis revealed that the H11 virus detected in 2014 had a >99.1% nucleotide similarity to the H11N2 viruses isolated in 2013, suggesting the continued prevalence of this virus in Antarctica over multiple years. However, phylogenetic analysis of the H5N5 virus showed that the genome segments were recently introduced to the continent, except for the NP gene, which was similar to that in the endemic H11N2 viruses. Our analysis indicates geographically diverse origins for the H5N5 virus genes, with the majority of its genome segments derived from North American lineage viruses but the neuraminidase gene derived from a Eurasian lineage virus. In summary, we show the persistence of AIV lineages in Antarctica over multiple years, the recent introduction of gene segments from diverse regions, and reassortment between different AIV lineages in Antarctica, which together significantly increase our understanding of AIV ecology in this fragile and pristine environment.IMPORTANCEAnalysis of avian influenza viruses (AIVs) detected in Antarctica reveals both the relatively recent introduction of an H5N5 AIV, predominantly of North American-like origin, and the persistence of an evolutionarily divergent H11 AIV. These data demonstrate that the flow of viruses from North America may be more common than initially thought and that, once introduced, these AIVs have the potential to be maintained within Antarctica. The future introduction of AIVs from North America into the Antarctic Peninsula is of particular concern given that highly pathogenic H5Nx viruses have recently been circulating among wild birds in parts of Canada and the Unites States following the movement of these viruses from Eurasia via migratory birds. The introduction of a highly pathogenic influenza virus in penguin colonies within Antarctica might have devastating consequences.

scholarly journals A North American H7N3 Influenza Virus Supports Reassortment with 2009 Pandemic H1N1 and Induces Disease in Mice without Prior Adaptation

2016 ◽  
Vol 90 (9) ◽  
pp. 4796-4806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham D. Williams ◽  
Amelia K. Pinto ◽  
Brittany Doll ◽  
Adrianus C. M. Boon
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Virus ◽  
Avian Influenza ◽  
North American ◽  
H1n1 Virus ◽  
Influenza Viruses ◽  
Pandemic H1n1 ◽  
Reassortant Viruses ◽  
H7n3 Virus ◽  
Prior Adaptation

ABSTRACTReassortment between H5 or H9 subtype avian and mammalian influenza A viruses (IAV) can generate a novel virus that causes disease and transmits between mammals. Such information is currently not available for H7 subtype viruses. We evaluated the ability of a low-pathogenicity North American avian H7N3 virus (A/shorebird/Delaware/22/2006) to reassort with mammalian or avian viruses using a plasmid-based competition assay. In addition to genome segments derived from an avian H7N9 virus, the H7N3 virus reassorted efficiently with the PB2, NA, and M segments from the 2009 pandemic H1N1 (PH1N1) virus.In vitroandin vivoevaluation of the H7N3:PH1N1 (7 + 1) reassortant viruses revealed that the PB2, NA, or M segments fromPH1N1 largely do not attenuate the H7N3 virus, whereas the PB1, PA, NP, or NS genome segments fromPH1N1 do. Additionally, we assessed the functionality of the H7N3:PH1N1 7 + 1 reassortant viruses by measuring the inflammatory responsein vivo. We found that infection with wild-type H7N3 resulted in increased inflammatory cytokine production relative to that seen with thePH1N1 strain and that the increase was further exacerbated by substitution ofPH1N1 PB2 but not NA or M. Finally, we assessed if any adaptations occurred in the individually substituted segments afterin vivoinoculation and found no mutations, suggesting thatPH1N1 PB2, NA, and M are genetically stable in the background of this H7N3 virus. Taking the data together, we demonstrate that a North American avian H7N3 IAV is genetically and functionally compatible with multiple gene segments from the 2009 pandemic influenza virus strain without prior adaptation.IMPORTANCEThe 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus continues to circulate and reassort with other influenza viruses, creating novel viruses with increased replication and transmission potential in humans. Previous studies have found that this virus can also reassort with H5N1 and H9N2 avian influenza viruses. We now show that several genome segments of the 2009 H1N1 virus are also highly compatible with a low-pathogenicity avian H7N3 virus and that these reassortant viruses are stable and not attenuated in an animal model. These results highlight the potential for reassortment of H1N1 viruses with avian influenza virus and emphasize the need for continued surveillance of influenza viruses in areas of cocirculation between avian, human, and swine viruses.

scholarly journals Pathogenesis and Transmission Assessments of Two H7N8 Influenza A Viruses Recently Isolated from Turkey Farms in Indiana Using Mouse and Ferret Models

2016 ◽  
Vol 90 (23) ◽  
pp. 10936-10944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiangjie Sun ◽  
Jessica A. Belser ◽  
Joanna A. Pulit-Penaloza ◽  
Hui Zeng ◽  
Amanda Lewis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Avian Influenza ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Influenza Viruses ◽  
Avian Influenza Viruses ◽  
Highly Pathogenic ◽  
Pathogenic Avian Influenza ◽  
Domestic Poultry ◽  
Commercial Turkey

ABSTRACTAvian influenza A H7 viruses have caused multiple outbreaks in domestic poultry throughout North America, resulting in occasional infections of humans in close contact with affected birds. In early 2016, the presence of H7N8 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses and closely related H7N8 low-pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) viruses was confirmed in commercial turkey farms in Indiana. These H7N8 viruses represent the first isolation of this subtype in domestic poultry in North America, and their virulence in mammalian hosts and the potential risk for human infection are largely unknown. In this study, we assessed the ability of H7N8 HPAI and LPAI viruses to replicatein vitroin human airway cells andin vivoin mouse and ferret models. Both H7N8 viruses replicated efficientlyin vitroandin vivo, but they exhibited substantial differences in disease severity in mammals. In mice, while the H7N8 LPAI virus largely remained avirulent, the H7N8 HPAI virus exhibited greater infectivity, virulence, and lethality. Both H7N8 viruses replicated similarly in ferrets, but only the H7N8 HPAI virus caused moderate weight loss, lethargy, and mortality. The H7N8 LPAI virus displayed limited transmissibility in ferrets placed in direct contact with an inoculated animal, while no transmission of H7N8 HPAI virus was detected. Our results indicate that the H7N8 avian influenza viruses from Indiana are able to replicate in mammals and cause severe disease but with limited transmission. The recent appearance of H7N8 viruses in domestic poultry highlights the need for continued influenza surveillance in wild birds and close monitoring of the potential risk to human health.IMPORTANCEH7 influenza viruses circulate in wild birds in the United States, but when the virus emerges in domestic poultry populations, the frequency of human exposure and the potential for human infections increases. An H7N8 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus and an H7N8 low-pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) virus were recently isolated from commercial turkey farms in Indiana. To determine the risk that these influenza viruses pose to humans, we assessed their pathogenesis and transmissionin vitroand in mammalian models. We found that the H7N8 HPAI virus exhibited enhanced virulence, and although transmission was only observed with the H7N8 LPAI virus, the ability of this H7 virus to transmit in a mammalian host and quickly evolve to a more virulent strain is cause for concern. Our findings offer important insight into the potential for emerging H7 avian influenza viruses to acquire the ability to cause disease and transmit among mammals.

scholarly journals Transatlantic spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 by wild birds from Europe to North America in 2021

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Caliendo ◽  
Nicola S Lewis ◽  
Anne Pohlmann ◽  
Jonas Waldenstrom ◽  
Marielle van Toor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Avian Influenza ◽  
Newfoundland And Labrador ◽  
Wild Bird ◽  
Bird Migration ◽  
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza ◽  
Highly Pathogenic ◽  
Pathogenic Avian Influenza ◽  
Influenza H5n1 ◽  
H5n1 Hpai

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses of the A/Goose/Guangdong/1/1996 lineage (GsGd), which threaten the health of poultry, wildlife and humans, are spreading across Asia, Europe and Africa, but are currently absent from Oceania and the Americas. In December 2021, H5N1 HPAI viruses were detected in poultry and a free-living gull in St. John, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Phylogenetic analysis showed that these viruses were most closely related to HPAI GsGd viruses circulating in northwestern Europe in spring 2021. Analysis of wild bird migration suggested that these viruses may have been carried across the Atlantic via Iceland, Greenland/Arctic or pelagic routes. The here documented incursion of HPAI GsGd viruses into North America raises concern for further virus spread across the Americas by wild bird migration.

scholarly journals Insertion of Basic Amino Acids in the Hemagglutinin Cleavage Site of H4N2 Avian Influenza Virus (AIV)—Reduced Virus Fitness in Chickens is Restored by Reassortment with Highly Pathogenic H5N1 AIV

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 2353
Author(s):  
Marcel Gischke ◽  
Reiner Ulrich ◽  
Olanrewaju I. Fatola ◽  
David Scheibner ◽  
Ahmed H. Salaheldin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Avian Influenza ◽  
Cleavage Site ◽  
Influenza Viruses ◽  
Viral Fitness ◽  
Highly Pathogenic ◽  
Basic Amino Acids ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Virus Fitness

Highly pathogenic (HP) avian influenza viruses (AIVs) are naturally restricted to H5 and H7 subtypes with a polybasic cleavage site (CS) in hemagglutinin (HA) and any AIV with an intravenous pathogenicity index (IVPI) ≥ 1.2. Although only a few non-H5/H7 viruses fulfill the criteria of HPAIV; it remains unclear why these viruses did not spread in domestic birds. In 2012, a unique H4N2 virus with a polybasic CS 322PEKRRTR/G329 was isolated from quails in California which, however, was avirulent in chickens. This is the only known non-H5/H7 virus with four basic amino acids in the HACS. Here, we investigated the virulence of this virus in chickens after expansion of the polybasic CS by substitution of T327R (322PEKRRRR/G329) or T327K (322PEKRRKR/G329) with or without reassortment with HPAIV H5N1 and H7N7. The impact of single mutations or reassortment on virus fitness in vitro and in vivo was studied. Efficient cell culture replication of T327R/K carrying H4N2 viruses increased by treatment with trypsin, particularly in MDCK cells, and reassortment with HPAIV H5N1. Replication, virus excretion and bird-to-bird transmission of H4N2 was remarkably compromised by the CS mutations, but restored after reassortment with HPAIV H5N1, although not with HPAIV H7N7. Viruses carrying the H4-HA with or without R327 or K327 mutations and the other seven gene segments from HPAIV H5N1 exhibited high virulence and efficient transmission in chickens. Together, increasing the number of basic amino acids in the H4N2 HACS was detrimental for viral fitness particularly in vivo but compensated by reassortment with HPAIV H5N1. This may explain the absence of non-H5/H7 HPAIV in poultry.

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