Abstract
BackgroundInfluenza viruses are a continuous threat to avian and mammalian species, causing epidemics and pandemics. After the circulation of H5N1 in 2006, 2015, and 2016 in Iraq, an H5N8 influenza virus emerged in domestic geese in Sulaymaniyah Province, Iraq. This study analyzed the genetic characteristics of the Iraqi H5N8 viruses.ResultsAn HPAI virus subtype H5N8 was identified from domestic backyard geese in the Kurdistan Region, north Iraq. Phylogenic analyses of the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes indicated that Iraq H5N8 viruses belonged to clade 2.3.4.4 group B and clustered with isolates from Iran, Israel, and Belgium. Genetic analysis of the HA gene indicated molecular markers for avian-type receptors. Characterization of the NA gene showed that the virus had sensitive molecular markers for antiviral drugs.ConclusionsThis is the first study ever on H5N8 in Iraq, and it is crucial to understand the epidemiology of the viruses in Iraq and the Middle East. The results suggest a possible role of migratory birds in the introduction of HPAI subtype H5N8 into Iraq.
Highlights
Influenza viruses are a continuous threat to avian and mammalian species, causing epidemics and pandemics
The phylogenic analysis of the partial NA gene of the Iraq H5N8 virus showed that it belonged to group B, and it was clustered with viruses from wild birds in Belgium, namely A/Anas platyrhynchos/Belgium/1899/ 2017, A/Buteo buteo/Belgium/3022/2017, and A/Cygnusolor/Belgium/1567/2017
The amino acid sequences of A/Domestic goose/ Sulaimani/Sul.1/2018 virus showed that the virus had multibasic cleavage sites of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the motif PLRE KRRKR.GLF, which is the molecular marker of HPAI
Summary
Influenza viruses are a continuous threat to avian and mammalian species, causing epidemics and pandemics. Influenza A is a genus of the Orthomyxoviridae family that causes a highly infectious disease affecting poultry populations worldwide [1]. Avian influenza viruses (AIV) are divided into highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), essentially a poultry disease, and low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) [2]. Viruses causing LPAI affect many wild bird species of Anseriformes and Charadriiformes [3, 4]. An epidemic of H5N8 HPAI in 2014/2015 resulted in the loss of more than 50 million birds in Asia, Europe, and North. In 2016/2017, another H5 HPAI epidemic spread from Asia and caused the largest recorded epidemic of domestic and wild birds in Europe [7]
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