Genetic characterization of natural reassortant H4 subtype avian influenza viruses isolated from domestic ducks in Zhejiang province in China from 2013 to 2014.
The H4 subtype of the influenza virus was first isolated in 1999 from pigs with pneumonia in Canada. H4 avian influenza viruses (AIVs) are able to cross the species barrier to infect humans. In order to better understand the genetic relationships between H4 AIV strains circulating in Eastern China and other AIV strains from Asia, a survey of domestic ducks in live poultry markets was undertaken in Zhejiang province from 2013 to 2014. In this study, 23 H4N2 (n = 14) and H4N6 (n = 9) strains were isolated from domestic ducks, and all eight gene segments of these strains were sequenced and compared to reference AIV strains available in GenBank. The isolated strains clustered primarily within the Eurasian lineage. No mutations associated with adaption to mammalian hosts or drug resistance was observed. The H4 reassortant strains were found to be of low pathogenicity in mice and able to replicate in the lung of the mice without prior adaptation. Continued surveillance is required, given the important role of domestic ducks in reassortment events leading to new AIVs.
State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang, China. wuhaibo2014@163.com.
Haibo
H
Wu
State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang, China.
Xiuming
X
Peng
State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang, China.
Xiaorong
X
Peng
State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang, China.
Linfang
L
Cheng
State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang, China.
Xiangyun
X
Lu
State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang, China.
Changzhong
C
Jin
State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang, China.
Tiansheng
T
Xie
State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang, China.
Hangping
H
Yao
State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang, China. flwnp2013@163.com.
Nanping
N
Wu
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D002988:Cloaca / Q000821:virology; D004372:Ducks / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D016679:Genome, Viral; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D016865:Reassortant Viruses / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics
D012367:RNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins
Avian influenza virus; Domestic ducks; H4N2; H4N6; Virus reassortment