Abstract
BackgroundWild waterfowl are recognized as the natural reservoir for influenza A viruses. Two distinct lineages, the American and Eurasian lineages, have been identified in wild birds. Gene flow between the two lineages is limited. The H9N2 virus has become prevalent in poultry throughout Eurasia, and mainly circulates in wild ducks and shorebirds in North America.MethodsIn this study, 22 H9N2 avian influenza viruses were isolated from wild waterfowl feces in East Dongting Lake Nature Reserve in November 2011 and March 2012. The phylogenetic, molecular, and antigenic characteristics of these viruses were analyzed based on analyses of the whole genome sequence of each isolate.ResultsPhylogenetic analyses indicated that these H9N2 viruses were generated by reassortment events. The HA, NA, PA, and NS genes were derived from the American gene pool, and the other four genes were derived from the Eurasian gene pool. Antigenic analyses indicated that these viruses were significantly different from the Eurasian lineage viruses.ConclusionsThis study presents the isolation of novel intercontinental recombinant H9N2 viruses from wild waterfowl in the East Dongting Lake wetland. The novel genotype H9N2 virus has not been detected in poultry in the region yet, and may be transmitted to naïve birds in poultry farms. Therefore, our results highlight the need for ongoing surveillance of wild birds and poultry in this region.
Highlights
Wild waterfowl are recognized as the natural reservoir for influenza A viruses
Wild waterfowl are recognized as the natural reservoir of influenza A viruses, especially low pathogenic avian influenza virus (LPAIV) [3]
avian influenza viruses (AIVs) are nonpathogenic in wild birds, they sometimes cause significant morbidity and mortality when transmitted to domestic poultry [6,7,8]
Summary
Wild waterfowl are recognized as the natural reservoir for influenza A viruses. Two distinct lineages, the American and Eurasian lineages, have been identified in wild birds. The H9N2 virus has become prevalent in poultry throughout Eurasia, and mainly circulates in wild ducks and shorebirds in North America. Wild waterfowl are recognized as the natural reservoir of influenza A viruses, especially low pathogenic avian influenza virus (LPAIV) [3]. The H9N2 subtype influenza virus was first isolated from a turkey in Wisconsin in 1966 It has been most prevalent in wild ducks and shorebirds and has shown no evidence of establishing a stable lineage in land-based poultry in North America [9]. Epidemiological and phylogenetic studies indicate that three distinct sublineages of H9N2 subtype influenza viruses have been established: Ck/Bj/94-like (A/chicken/Beijing/1/94 or A/duck/Hongkong/Y280/1997), G1-like (A/Quail/Hong Kong/G1/1997) and Korea-like (A/chicken/Y439/1997 or A/chicken/Korea/383490-p96323/1996) [10,11,12]
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