title: An avian influenza A(H11N1) virus from a wild aquatic bird revealing a unique Eurasian-American genetic reassortment.
abstract: Influenza surveillance in different wild bird populations is critical for understanding the persistence, transmission and evolution of these viruses. Avian influenza (AI) surveillance was undertaken in wild migratory and resident birds during the period 2007-2008, in view of the outbreaks of highly pathogenic AI (HPAI) H5N1 in poultry in India since 2006. In this study, we present the whole genome sequence data along with the genetic and virological characterization of an Influenza A(H11N1) virus isolated from wild aquatic bird for the first time from India. The virus was low pathogenicity and phylogenetic analysis revealed that it was distinct from reported H11N1 viruses. The hemagglutinin (HA) gene showed maximum similarity with A/semipalmatedsandpiper/Delaware/2109/2000 (H11N6) and A/shorebird/Delaware/236/2003(H11N9) while the neuraminidase (NA) gene showed maximum similarity with A/duck/Mongolia/540/2001(H1N1). The virus thus possessed an HA gene of the American lineage. The NA and other six genes were of the Eurasian lineage and showed closer relatedness to non-H11 viruses. Such a genetic reassortment is unique and interesting, though the pathways leading to its emergence and its future persistence in the avian reservoir is yet to be fully established.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Virology, Microbial Containment Complex, 130/1, Sus Road, Pashan, Pune, 411021, India.
authors.forename: Shailesh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pawar
authors.forename: Alok
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chakrabarti
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cherian
authors.forename: Satish
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pande
authors.forename: Madhuri
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nanaware
authors.forename: Satish
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Raut
authors.forename: Biswajoy
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pal
authors.forename: Santosh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jadhav
authors.forename: Sadhana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kode
authors.forename: Santosh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koratkar
authors.forename: Vishal
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Thite
authors.forename: Akhilesh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mishra
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000821:virology*; D009439:Neuraminidase / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D011200:Poultry / Q000821:virology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D009439:Neuraminidase