title: Intersegmental recombination between the haemagglutinin and matrix genes was responsible for the emergence of a highly pathogenic H7N3 avian influenza virus in British Columbia.
abstract: In February 2004 a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak erupted in British Columbia. Investigations indicated that the responsible HPAI H7N3 virus emerged suddenly from a low pathogenic precursor. Analysis of the haemagglutinin (HA) genes of the low and high pathogenic viruses isolated from the index farm revealed the only difference to be a 21 nt insert at the HA cleavage site of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus. It was deduced that this insert most probably arose as a result of non-homologous recombination between the HA and matrix genes of the same virus. Over the course of the outbreak, a total of 37 isolates with, and 3 isolates without inserts were characterized. The events described here appear very similar to those which occurred in Chile in 2002 where the virulence shift of another H7N3 virus was attributed to non-homologous recombination between the HA and nucleoprotein genes.
authors.affiliation: Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3E 3M4.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pasick
authors.affiliation: Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3E 3M4.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Handel
authors.affiliation: Animal Health Centre, British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and Food, 1767 Angus Campbell Road, Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada V3G 2M3.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.affiliation: Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3E 3M4.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Copps
authors.affiliation: Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3E 3M4.
authors.forename: Deidre
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ridd
authors.affiliation: Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3E 3M4.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hills
authors.affiliation: Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3E 3M4.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kehler
authors.affiliation: Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3E 3M4.
authors.forename: Colleen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cottam-Birt
authors.affiliation: Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3E 3M4.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Neufeld
authors.affiliation: Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3E 3M4.
authors.forename: Yohannes
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Berhane
authors.affiliation: Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3E 3M4.
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Czub
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds; D001955:British Columbia; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary*; D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D010802:Phylogeny; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins