Gonzalo Tomás, etc.,al. Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus infections in pinnipeds and seabirds in Uruguay: implications for bird-mammal transmission in South America. Virus Evolution, veae031
The highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses of the clade 2.3.4.4b have caused unprecedented deaths in South American wild birds, poultry, and marine mammals. In September 2023, pinnipeds and seabirds appeared dead on the Uruguayan Atlantic coast. Sixteen influenza virus strains were characterized by real-time reverse transcription PCR and genome sequencing in samples from sea lions (Otaria flavescens), fur seals (Arctocephalus australis), and terns (Sterna hirundinacea). Phylogenetic and ancestral reconstruction analysis showed that these strains have pinnipeds as the most likely ancestral host, representing a recent introduction of the clade 2.3.4.4b in Uruguay. The Uruguayan and closely related strains from Peru (sea lions) and Chile (sea lions and a human case) carry mammalian adaptative residues 591K and 701N in the viral polymerase basic protein 2 (PB2). Our findings suggest that the clade 2.3.4.4b strains in South America may have spread from mammals to mammals and seabirds, revealing a new transmission route.
See Also:
Latest articles in those days:
- Epitopes in the HA and NA of H5 and H7 avian influenza viruses that are important for antigenic drift 19 hours ago
- Assessment of CD8+ T-cell mediated immunity in an influenza A(H3N2) human challenge model in Belgium: a single centre, randomised, double-blind phase 2 study 19 hours ago
- Dual N-linked glycosylation at residues 133 and 158 in the hemagglutinin are essential for the efficacy of H7N9 avian influenza virus like particle vaccine in chickens and mice 19 hours ago
- Effect of human H3N2 influenza virus reassortment on influenza incidence and severity during the 2017-18 influenza season in the USA: a retrospective observational genomic analysis 19 hours ago
- [preprint] Virome Sequencing Identifies H5N1 Avian Influenza in Wastewater from Nine Cities 1 days ago
[Go Top] [Close Window]