Characterization of a reassortant H11N9 subtype avian influenza virus isolated from spot-billed duck in China

Abstract

H11N9 viruses in wild birds might have provided the NA gene of human H7N9 virus in early 2013 in China, which evolved with highly pathogenic strains in 2017 and caused severe fatalities. To investigate the prevalence and evolution of the H11N9 influenza viruses, 16,781 samples were collected and analyzed during 2016–2020. As a result, a novel strain of influenza A (H11N9) virus with several characteristics that increase virulence was isolated. This strain had reduced pathogenicity in chicken and mice and was able to replicate in mice without prior adaptation. Phylogenetic analyses showed that it was a sextuple‐reassortant virus of H11N9, H3N8, H3N6, H7N9, H9N2, and H6N8 viruses present in China, similar to the H11N9 strains in Japan and Korea during the same period. This was the H11N9 strain isolated from China most recently, which add a record to viruses in wild birds. This study identified a new H11N9 reassortant in a wild bird with key mutation contributing to virulence. Therefore, comprehensive surveillance and enhanced biosecurity precautions are particularly important for the prediction and prevention of potential pandemics resulting from reassortant viruses with continuous evolution and expanding geographic distributions.