Ortiz L, Geiger G, Ferreri L, Moran D, Mendez D, G. Blue-Winged Teals in Guatemala and Their Potential Role in the Ecology of H14 Subtype Influenza a Viruses. Viruses. 2023 Feb 9;15(2):483
Wild aquatic birds are considered the natural hosts of 16 HA (H1-H16) and 9 NA (N1-N9) subtypes of influenza A viruses (FLUAV) found in different combinations. H14 FLUAVs are rarely detected in nature. Since 2011, H14 FLUAVs have been consistently detected in Guatemala, leading to the largest collection of this subtype from a single country. All H14 FLUAVs in Guatemala were detected from blue-winged teal samples. In this report, 17 new full-length H14 FLUAV genome sequences detected from 2014 until 2019 were analyzed and compared to all published H14 sequences, including Guatemala, North America, and Eurasia. The H14 FLUAVs identified in Guatemala were mostly associated with the N3 subtype (n = 25), whereas the rest were paired with either N4 (n = 7), N5 (n = 4), N6 (n = 1), and two mixed infections (N3/N5 n = 2, and N2/N3 n = 1). H14 FLUAVs in Guatemala belong to a distinct H14 lineage in the Americas that is evolving independently from the Eurasian H14 lineage. Of note, the ORF of the H14 HA segments showed three distinct motifs at the cleavage site, two of these containing arginine instead of lysine in the first and fourth positions, not previously described in other countries. The effects of these mutations on virus replication, virulence, and/or transmission remain unknown and warrant further studies.
See Also:
Latest articles in those days:
- Highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus in a common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in Florida 10 hours ago
- Evidence of Reverse Zoonotic Transmission of Human Seasonal Influenza A Virus (H1N1, H3N2) Among Cats 10 hours ago
- Evolution and Antigenic Differentiation of Avian Influenza A(H7N9) Virus, China 10 hours ago
- Evolution of H7N9 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in the context of vaccination 1 days ago
- Cost-effectiveness of high-dose influenza vaccination in the Netherlands: Incorporating the impact on both respiratory and cardiovascular hospitalizations 1 days ago
[Go Top] [Close Window]