title: Pneumo- and neurotropism of avian origin Italian highly pathogenic avian influenza H7N1 isolates in experimentally infected mice.
abstract: An experimental infection of mice was performed in order to investigate the potential for interspecies transmission in mammals of Italian HPAI viruses of the H7N1 subtype. Three avian origin isolates were selected, two strains obtained from ostrich (one of which contained a PB2-627 Lysine residue) and one from a chicken. Following intranasal infection of mice, clinical signs and mortality were recorded in the experimental groups challenged with the two ostrich isolates, while only weight loss was observed in those receiving the chicken strain. Viruses were recovered to a varying extent from respiratory and nervous tissues of infected animals. These results suggest that HPAI viruses, other than H5N1 and H7N7, may have zoonotic implications, and support the consensus that AI infections in poultry are to be eradicated rather than contained.
authors.affiliation: OIE, FAO and National Reference Laboratory for Newcastle Disease and Avian Influenza, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Viale dell'Università 10, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rigoni
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shinya
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Toffan
authors.forename: Adelaide
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Milani
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bettini
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawaoka
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cattoli
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Capua
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds / Q000821:virology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005814:Genes, Viral; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000821:virology; D007558:Italy; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009420:Nervous System / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D009976:Orthomyxoviridae Infections / Q000473:pathology / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D013045:Species Specificity; D014774:Virulence; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral