title: Molecular analysis of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus of subtype H5N1 isolated from wild birds and mammals in northern Germany.
abstract: Analysis of the full-length sequences of all eight segments of the German wild-bird H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus index isolate, A/Cygnus cygnus/Germany/R65/2006, and an H5N1 isolate from a cat (A/cat/Germany/R606/2006) obtained during an outbreak in February 2006 revealed a very high similarity between these two sequences. One amino acid substitution in the PA gene, encoding a protein involved in virus RNA replication, and one amino acid substitution in the haemagglutinin (HA) protein were observed. Phylogenetic analyses of the HA and neuraminidase nucleotide sequences showed that avian influenza H5N1 isolates from the Astrakhan region located in southern Russia were the closest relatives. Reassortment events could be excluded in comparison with other 'Qinghai-like' H5N1 viruses. In addition, an H5N1 isolate originating from a single outbreak in poultry in Germany was found to be related closely to the H5N1 viruses circulating at that time in the wild-bird population.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Biology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
authors.forename: Siegfried
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.affiliation: Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
authors.forename: Timm
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Harder
authors.affiliation: Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
authors.forename: Elke
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Starick
authors.affiliation: Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
authors.forename: Ortrud
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.affiliation: Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Biology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Mettenleiter
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular Biology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
authors.forename: Egbert
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mundt
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000821:virology*; D046090:Anseriformes / Q000821:virology*; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D002415:Cats; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D053124:Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000821:virology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009439:Neuraminidase / Q000235:genetics; D009976:Orthomyxoviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary / Q000821:virology; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus; D009439:Neuraminidase