Abstract

Multiple infections of avian influenza viruses (AIVs) in poultry or wild birds contribute to the continued evolution of H5 subtype viruses in nature and provide potential recombination of AIVs of different origins. In this study, we carried out surveillance of AIVs in ducks, geese and the environment of a community in Hunan province, China, from 2014–2015. We isolated multiple co-circulated AIVs including H3N2, H3N8, and H5N6, and, most importantly, a novel reassortant: H3N6. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that H3N6 is highly likely derived from H5N6, which has recently been shown to have zoonotic potential with human infections. Studies with mammalian cell lines and a mouse model indicate that four selected AIVs of duck or goose origin can infect MDCK and A549 cells but have low pathogenicity in mice. We propose that a potential co-circulation of multiple subtypes including H5N6 in local area may result in the production of novel subtypes such as H3N6 by gene reassortment.

Highlights

  • The highly pathogenic H5N1 virus was first identified in sick geese in Guangdong Province in 199614

  • We report novel reassortants of H3 and H5 influenza viruses originated from a common ancestor in domestic ducks and highlight the need for control of H5N6 viral infection in waterfowl from poultry farms

  • No virus was isolated from fecal samples and 10 strains were selected for phylogenetic analysis and biological experiments (Table 1)

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Summary

Introduction

The highly pathogenic H5N1 virus was first identified in sick geese in Guangdong Province in 199614. Since the beginning of 2004, significant outbreaks of H5N1 viral infection in poultry farms caused millions of domestic poultry deaths[3,6,16]. A novel H5N6 virus was isolated in Asia, which was a reassortant of H5N1 and H6N6 viruses[17,18,19]. The H5N6 virus has been isolated from domestic cats and wild birds in China[22], suggesting that mammals and wild birds may contribute to viral circulation. The H3 influenza virus is widely circulated in various species and has been frequently isolated from human, swine, birds, or wild animals. We report novel reassortants of H3 and H5 influenza viruses originated from a common ancestor in domestic ducks and highlight the need for control of H5N6 viral infection in waterfowl from poultry farms

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