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Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 Clade 2.3.2.1c virus in migratory birds, 2014–2015

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Virologica Sinica

Abstract

A novel Clade 2.3.2.1c H5N1 reassortant virus caused several outbreaks in wild birds in some regions of China from late 2014 to 2015. Based on the genetic and phylogenetic analyses, the viruses possess a stable gene constellation with a Clade 2.3.2.1c HA, a H9N2-derived PB2 gene and the other six genes of Asian H5N1-origin. The Clade 2.3.2.1c H5N1 reassortants displayed a high genetic relationship to a human H5N1 strain (A/Alberta/01/2014). Further analysis showed that similar viruses have been circulating in wild birds in China, Russia, Dubai (Western Asia), Bulgaria and Romania (Europe), as well as domestic poultry in some regions of Africa. The affected areas include the Central Asian, East Asian-Australasian, West Asian-East African, and Black Sea/Mediterranean flyways. These results show that the novel Clade 2.3.2.1c reassortant viruses are circulating worldwide and may have gained a selective advantage in migratory birds, thus posing a serious threat to wild birds and potentially humans.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Immunity, State Key Discipline of Infectious Disease, Shenzhen Third People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, 518112, China

    Yuhai Bi, Yingxia Liu, Lei Liu & George F. Gao

  2. CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China

    Jianjun Chen & Mingxin Li

  3. CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology (CASPMI), Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China

    Yuhai Bi, Gary Wong, Di Liu, Wenjun Liu & George F. Gao

  4. Institute of Pathogen Biology, Taishan Medical College, Taishan, 271000, China

    Zhenjie Zhang & Weifeng Shi

  5. CAS Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China

    Tianlong Cai & Fumin Lei

  6. Center for Influenza Research and Early-warning (CASCIRE), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China

    Yuhai Bi, Wenjun Liu, Fumin Lei & George F. Gao

  7. Research Institute of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia

    Jianjun Chen, Kirill Sharshov, Ivan Susloparov & Alexander Shestopalov

  8. Qinghai Lake National Nature Reserve, State Forestry Administration, Xining, 810007, China

    Yubang He, Zhi Xing & Jianqing Sun

  9. Office of Director-General, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), and Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Disease, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    George F. Gao

Authors
  1. Yuhai Bi
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  2. Jianjun Chen
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  3. Zhenjie Zhang
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  4. Mingxin Li
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  5. Tianlong Cai
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  6. Kirill Sharshov
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  7. Ivan Susloparov
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  8. Alexander Shestopalov
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  9. Gary Wong
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  10. Yubang He
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  11. Zhi Xing
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  12. Jianqing Sun
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  13. Di Liu
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  14. Yingxia Liu
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  15. Lei Liu
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  16. Wenjun Liu
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  17. Fumin Lei
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  18. Weifeng Shi
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  19. George F. Gao
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Yuhai Bi or Weifeng Shi.

Additional information

These authors contributed equally to this article.

ORCID: 0000-0002-5595-363X

ORCID: 0000-0002-8717-2942

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Bi, Y., Chen, J., Zhang, Z. et al. Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 Clade 2.3.2.1c virus in migratory birds, 2014–2015. Virol. Sin. 31, 300–305 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12250-016-3750-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12250-016-3750-4

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