title: Genetic characterization of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 viruses isolated from naturally infected pigeons in Egypt.
abstract: Avian influenza viruses impose serious public health burdens with significant mortality and morbidity not only in poultry but also in humans. While poultry susceptibility to avian influenza virus infection is well characterized, pigeons have been thought to have low susceptibility to these viruses. However, recent studies reported natural pigeon infections with highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 viruses. In Egypt, which is one of the H5N1 endemic areas for birds, pigeons are raised in towers built on farms in backyards and on house roofs, providing a potential risk for virus transmission from pigeons to humans. In this study, we performed genetic analysis of two H5N1 virus strains that were isolated from naturally infected pigeons in Egypt. Genetic and phylogenetic analyses showed that these viruses originated from Egyptian H5N1 viruses that were circulating in chickens or ducks. Several unique mutations, not reported before in any Egyptian isolates, were detected in the internal genes (i.e., polymerase residues PB1-V3D, PB1-K363R, PA-A369V, and PA-V602I; nucleoprotein residue NP-R38K; and nonstructural protein residues NS1-D120N and NS2-F55C). Our findings suggested that pigeons are naturally infected with H5N1 virus and can be a potential reservoir for transmission to humans, and showed the importance of genetic analysis of H5N1 internal genes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465 Kawaramachi-hirokoji Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8566, Japan.|Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhur University, Damanhur, Egypt.
authors.forename: Emad Mohamed
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Elgendy
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465 Kawaramachi-hirokoji Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8566, Japan. nabe@biken.osaka-u.ac.jp.|Department of Viral Infections, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan. nabe@biken.osaka-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yohei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465 Kawaramachi-hirokoji Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8566, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Daidoji
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465 Kawaramachi-hirokoji Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8566, Japan.|Department of Viral Infections, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuha
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.affiliation: Department of Viral Infections, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ikuta
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465 Kawaramachi-hirokoji Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8566, Japan.|Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhur University, Damanhur, Egypt.
authors.forename: Madiha Salah
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465 Kawaramachi-hirokoji Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, 602-8566, Japan. tnakaya@koto.kpu-m.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Takaaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakaya
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D010856:Columbidae / Q000821:virology*; D004534:Egypt / Q000453:epidemiology; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / Q000235:genetics; D053124:Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype / Q000235:genetics*; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D009154:Mutation; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D037521:Virulence Factors
chemical_list: D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus; D012367:RNA, Viral; D037521:Virulence Factors
keywords: Egypt; H5N1; Phylogenetic analysis; Pigeon; Sequencing