1. Five distinct reassortants of H5N6 highly pathogenic avian influenza A viruses affected Japan during the winter of 2016–2017.
- Author
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Takemae, Nobuhiro, Tsunekuni, Ryota, Sharshov, Kirill, Tanikawa, Taichiro, Uchida, Yuko, Ito, Hiroshi, Soda, Kosuke, Usui, Tatsufumi, Sobolev, Ivan, Shestopalov, Alexander, Yamaguchi, Tsuyoshi, Mine, Junki, Ito, Toshihiro, and Saito, Takehiko
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AVIAN influenza A virus , *PUBLIC health , *VIRAL genomes , *MICROORGANISM phylogeny , *MIGRATORY birds - Abstract
To elucidate the evolutionary pathway, we sequenced the entire genomes of 89 H5N6 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) isolated in Japan during winter 2016–2017 and 117 AIV/HPAIVs isolated in Japan and Russia. Phylogenetic analysis showed that at least 5 distinct genotypes of H5N6 HPAIVs affected poultry and wild birds during that period. Japanese H5N6 isolates shared a common genetic ancestor in 6 of 8 genomic segments, and the PA and NS genes demonstrated 4 and 2 genetic origins, respectively. Six gene segments originated from a putative ancestral clade 2.3.4.4 H5N6 virus that was a possible genetic reassortant among Chinese clade 2.3.4.4 H5N6 HPAIVs. In addition, 2 NS clusters and a PA cluster in Japanese H5N6 HPAIVs originated from Chinese HPAIVs, whereas 3 distinct AIV-derived PA clusters were evident. These results suggest that migratory birds were important in the spread and genetic diversification of clade 2.3.4.4 H5 HPAIVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2017
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