Genetic characterization of H5N1 influenza virus that caused new outbreak in Israel at the beginning of 2008.
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.
Shimon
Perk
P
Division of Avian and Aquatic Diseases, Kimron Veterinary Institute, Beit Dagan, Israel.
Golender
Natalia
N
Lapin
Ekaterina
E
Pokamunski
Shimon
S
Berman
Elyakum
E
Tendler
Yevgeny
Y
Bellaiche
Michel
M
Panshin
Alexander
A
Davidson
Irit
I
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
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus; D009439:Neuraminidase