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Influenza viruses are classified into 4 types: A, B, C, and D (1). Influenza A viruses infect a wide range of species and pose threats to human and animal health. [...]

In March 2021, Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos) reported an avian influenza A(H5N6) virus infection in a 5‐year‐old child identified through sentinel surveillance. This was the first human A(H5N6) infection reported outside of China. A multidisciplinary investigation undertook contact tracing and enhanced human and animal surveillance in surrounding villages and live bird markets. Seven Muscovy ducks tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N6) viruses. Sequenced viruses belonged to clade 2.3.4.4h and were closely related to viruses detected in poultry in Vietnam and to previous viruses detected in Laos. Surveillance and coordinated outbreak response remain essential to global health security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Baloxavir showed broad-spectrum in vitro replication inhibition of 4 types of influenza viruses (90% effective concentration range 1.2-98.3 nmol/L); susceptibility pattern was influenza A ˃ B ˃ C ˃ D. This drug also inhibited influenza A viruses of avian and swine origin, including viruses that have pandemic potential and those resistant to neuraminidase inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuraminidase inhibitors are the only licensed antiviral medications available to treat avian influenza A(H7N9) virus infections in humans. According to a neuraminidase inhibition assay, an R292K substitution reduced antiviral efficacy of inhibitors, especially oseltamivir, and decreased viral fitness in cell culture. Monitoring emergence of R292K-carrying viruses using a pH-modified neuraminidase inhibition assay should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reassortment among co-infecting influenza A viruses (IAVs) is an important source of viral diversity and can facilitate expansion into novel host species. Indeed, reassortment played a key role in the evolution of the last three pandemic IAVs. Observed patterns of reassortment within a coinfected host are likely to be shaped by several factors, including viral load, the extent of viral mixing within the host and the stringency of selection. These factors in turn are expected to vary among the diverse host species that IAV infects. To investigate host differences in IAV reassortment, here we examined reassortment of two distinct avian IAVs within their natural host (mallards) and a mammalian model system (guinea pigs). Animals were co-inoculated with A/wildbird/California/187718-36/2008 (H3N8) and A/mallard/Colorado/P66F1-5/2008 (H4N6) viruses. Longitudinal samples were collected from the cloaca of mallards or the nasal tract of guinea pigs and viral genetic exchange was monitored by genotyping clonal isolates from these samples. Relative to those in guinea pigs, viral populations in mallards showed higher frequencies of reassortant genotypes and were characterized by higher genotype richness and diversity. In line with these observations, analysis of pairwise segment combinations revealed lower linkage disequilibrium in mallards as compared to guinea pigs. No clear longitudinal patterns in richness, diversity or linkage disequilibrium were present in either host. Our results reveal mallards to be a highly permissive host for IAV reassortment and suggest that reduced viral mixing limits avian IAV reassortment in a mammalian host. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This is the first investigated human case of avian influenza A(H9N2) virus infection in Oman, presenting in a 14-month-old female. • This single case raises the question of other possible mild unrecognized infections, especially among high-risk groups such as poultry workers. • This single case re-emphasizes the urgent need for increased efforts to tackle the threat of avian influenza A(H9N2) virus infection by adapting a multisector One Health approach. Following the detection of the first human case of avian influenza A subtype H9N2 in 1998, more than 40 cases were diagnosed worldwide. However, the spread of the virus has been more remarkable and significant in global poultry populations, causing notable economic losses despite its low pathogenicity. Many surveillance studies and activities conducted in several countries have shown the predominance of this virus subtype. We present the case of a 14-month-old female in Oman with an A(H9N2) virus infection. This is the first human case of A(H9N2) reported from Oman and the Gulf Cooperation Countries, and Oman is the second country outside of southern and eastern Asia to report a case (cases have also been detected in Egypt). The patient had bronchial asthma and presented with a high-grade temperature and symptoms of lower respiratory tract infection that necessitated admission to a high dependency unit in a tertiary care hospital. It is of urgency that a multisector One Health approach be established to combat the threat of avian influenza at the animal–human interface. In addition to enhancements of surveillance and control in poultry, there is a need to develop screening and preventive programs for high-risk occupations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Baloxavir showed broad-spectrum in vitro replication inhibition of 4 types of influenza viruses (90% effective concentration range 1.2-98.3 nmol/L); susceptibility pattern was influenza A ˃ B ˃ C ˃ D. This drug also inhibited influenza A viruses of avian and swine origin, including viruses that have pandemic potential and those resistant to neuraminidase inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bangladesh has reported repeated outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5) viruses in poultry since 2007. Because of the large number of live poultry markets (LPM) relative to the population density of poultry throughout the country, these markets can serve as sentinel sites for HPAI A(H5) detection. Through active LPM surveillance during June 2016–June 2017, HPAI A(H5N6) viruses along with 14 other subtypes of influenza A viruses were detected. The HPAI A(H5N6) viruses belonged to clade 2.3.4.4 and were likely introduced into Bangladesh around March 2016. Human infections with influenza clade 2.3.4.4 viruses in Bangladesh have not been identified, but the viruses had several molecular markers associated with potential human infection. Vigilant surveillance at the animal-human interface is essential to identify emerging avian influenza viruses with the potential to threaten public and animal health. • HPAI A(H5) viruses have been circulating in Bangladesh since 2007, resulting in hundreds of poultry outbreaks and sporadic human infections. • Market based surveillance was established in Bangladesh in 2007 to identify HPAI viruses that pose a potential threat to human and animal health. • This study describes the influenza A subtypes identified from June 2016 to June 2017 and reports detection of clade 2.3.4.4 H5N6 viruses in Bangladesh. • We also assessed the evolution and antigenic properties of these viruses and potential modes and timing of emergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Influenza virus genomes were extracted from ferret respiratory samples. • Five extraction methods were evaluated by next generation sequencing of viral genomes. • DNase treatment was critical for amplification and sequencing of RNA virus genome. • These findings can be applied to respiratory samples containing other RNA viruses. Influenza A virus is a negative-sense RNA virus with a segmented genome consisting of eight RNA segments. Avian influenza A virus (AIV) primarily infects avian hosts and sporadically infects mammals, which can lead to adaptation to new species. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) of emerging AIV genomes extracted from respiratory samples collected on sequential days from animal models and clinical patients enables analysis of the emergence of evolutionary variants within the virus population over time. However, obtaining codon complete AIV genome at a sufficient coverage depth for nucleotide variant calling remains a challenge, especially from post-inoculation respiratory samples collected at late time points that have low viral titers. In this study, nasal wash samples from ferrets inoculated with different subtypes of AIV were collected on various days post-inoculation. Each nasal wash sample was aliquoted and extracted using five commercially available nucleic acid extraction methods. Extracted influenza virus RNA was amplified and NGS conducted using Illumina Mi-Seq. For each nasal wash sample, completeness of AIV genome segments and coverage depth were compared among five extraction methods. Nucleic acids extracted by MagNA pure compact RNA isolation consistently yielded codon complete sequences for all eight genome segments at the required coverage depth at each time point sampled. The study revealed that DNase treatment was critical to the amplification of influenza genome segments and the downstream success of codon complete NGS from nasal wash samples. The findings from this study can be applied to improve NGS of influenza and other RNA viruses that infect the respiratory tract and are collected from respiratory samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fifth wave of the H7N9 influenza epidemic in China was distinguished by a sudden increase in human infections, an extended geographic distribution, and the emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses. Genetically, some H7N9 viruses from the fifth wave have acquired novel amino acid changes at positions involved in mammalian adaptation, antigenicity, and hemagglutinin cleavability. Here, several human low-pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) and HPAI H7N9 virus isolates from the fifth epidemic wave were assessed for their pathogenicity and transmissibility in mammalian models, as well as their ability to replicate in human airway epithelial cells. We found that an LPAI virus exhibited a similar capacity to replicate and cause disease in two animal species as viruses from previous waves. In contrast, HPAI H7N9 viruses possessed enhanced virulence, causing greater lethargy and mortality, with an extended tropism for brain tissues in both ferret and mouse models. These HPAI viruses also showed signs of adaptation to mammalian hosts by acquiring the ability to fuse at a lower pH threshold than other H7N9 viruses. All of the fifth-wave H7N9 viruses were able to transmit among cohoused ferrets but exhibited a limited capacity to transmit by respiratory droplets, and deep sequencing analysis revealed that the H7N9 viruses sampled after transmission showed a reduced amount of minor variants. Taken together, we conclude that the fifth-wave HPAI H7N9 viruses have gained the ability to cause enhanced disease in mammalian models and with further adaptation may acquire the ability to cause an H7N9 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of A(H7N9) virus strains with resistance to neuraminidase (NA) inhibitors highlights a critical need to discover new countermeasures for treatment of A(H7N9) virus-infected patients. We previously described an anti-NA mAb (3c10-3) that has prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy in mice lethally challenged with A(H7N9) virus when delivered intraperitoneally (i.p.). Here we show that intrananasal (i.n.) administration of 3c10-3 protects 100% of mice from mortality when treated 24 h post-challenge and further characterize the protective efficacy of 3c10-3 using a nonlethal A(H7N9) challenge model. Administration of 3c10-3 i.p. 24 h prior to challenge resulted in a significant decrease in viral lung titers and deep sequencing analysis indicated that treatment did not consistently select for viral variants in NA. Furthermore, prophylactic administration of 3c10-3 did not inhibit the development of protective immunity to subsequent homologous virus re-challenge. Taken together, 3c10-3 highlights the potential use of anti-NA mAb to mitigate influenza virus infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]