title: Characterization of an H10N8 influenza virus isolated from Dongting lake wetland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Wild birds, especially those in wetlands and aquatic environments, are considered to be natural reservoirs of avian influenza viruses. It is accepted that water is an important component in the transmission cycle of avian influenza virus. Monitoring the water at aggregation and breeding sites of migratory waterfowl, mainly wetland, is very important for early detection of avian influenza virus. The epidemiology investigation of avian influenza virus was performed in Dongting lake wetland which is an international important wetland.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An H10N8 influenza virus was isolated from Dongting Lake wetland in 2007. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the virus was generated by multiple gene segment reassortment. The isolate was lowly pathogenic for chickens. However, it replicated efficiently in the mouse lung without prior adaptation, and the virulence to mice increased rapidly during adaptation in mouse lung. Sequence analysis of the genome of viruses from different passages showed that multiple amino acid changes were involved in the adaptation of the isolates to mice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The water might be an important component in the transmission cycle of avian influenza virus, and other subtypes of avian influenza viruses (other than H5, H7 and H9) might evolve to pose a potential threat to mammals and even humans.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, PR China.
authors.forename: Hongbo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Quanjiao
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jianjun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ze
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000220:Adaptation, Biological; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D002645:Chickens; D002681:China; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D005260:Female; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009976:Orthomyxoviridae Infections / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D010802:Phylogeny; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012692:Serial Passage; D014871:Water Microbiology; D053833:Wetlands
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral