title: Genetic characterization of H5N1 influenza virus that caused new outbreak in Israel at the beginning of 2008.
abstract: Our aim was to characterize the A/ck/Israeli/1055/2008 (H5N1) avian influenza virus that was isolated at the beginning of 2008, and to establish the phylogenetic relationship of this isolate to other H5N1 viruses that were recently isolated in adjacent countries. In light of a study of complete nucleotide sequences of all the genes we found that the isolate (year 2008) was closely related to the H5N1 viruses isolated in Egypt, Israel and Gaza in 2006. The Israeli isolate had the hemagglutinin-connecting peptide with a polybasic amino acid insertion. The most host-restriction sites of the 2008 isolate were typical of avian hosts, with one exception: K627 at the PB2 protein. As compared with previous local H5N1 isolates, a high mutation rate was found at the HA gene, which antigenic sites were under positive selection pressure.
authors.affiliation: Division of Avian and Aquatic Diseases, Kimron Veterinary Institute, Beit Dagan, Israel.
authors.forename: Perk
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Shimon
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Golender
authors.forename: Ekaterina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lapin
authors.forename: Shimon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pokamunski
authors.forename: Elyakum
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Berman
authors.forename: Yevgeny
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tendler
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bellaiche
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Panshin
authors.forename: Irit
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Davidson
mesh_terms: D019943:Amino Acid Substitution; D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D001717:Birds; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005814:Genes, Viral; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D053124:Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D009154:Mutation; D009439:Neuraminidase / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus; D009439:Neuraminidase