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:
- Risk of infection of dairy cattle in the EU with highly pathogenic avian influenza virus affecting dairy cows in the United States of America (H5N1, Eurasian lineage goose/Guangdong clade 2.3.4.4b. ge 12 hours ago
- Avian influenza overview September - November 2025 12 hours ago
- [preprint]Airway organoids reveal patterns of Influenza A tropism and adaptation in wildlife species 12 hours ago
- Cats are more susceptible to the prevalent H3 subtype influenza viruses than dogs 15 hours ago
- Overview of high pathogenicity avian influenza H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b in wildlife from Central and South America, October 2022-September 2025 15 hours ago
[Go Top] [Close Window]


