title: Emerging highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza viruses in France during winter 2015/16: phylogenetic analyses and markers for zoonotic potential.
abstract: Several new highly pathogenic (HP) H5 avian influenza virus (AIV) have been detected in poultry farms from south-western France since November 2015, among which an HP H5N1. The zoonotic potential and origin of these AIVs immediately became matters of concern. One virus of each subtype H5N1 (150169a), H5N2 (150233) and H5N9 (150236) was characterised. All proved highly pathogenic for poultry as demonstrated molecularly by the presence of a polybasic cleavage site in their HA protein - with a sequence (HQRRKR/GLF) previously unknown among avian H5 HPAI viruses - or experimentally by the in vivo demonstration of an intravenous pathogenicity index of 2.9 for the H5N1 HP isolate. Phylogenetic analyses based on the full genomes obtained by NGS confirmed that the eight viral segments of the three isolates were all part of avian Eurasian phylogenetic lineage but differed from the Gs/Gd/1/96-like lineage. The study of the genetic characteristics at specific amino acid positions relevant for modulating the adaptation to and the virulence for mammals showed that presently, these viruses possess most molecular features characteristic of AIV and lack some major characteristics required for efficient respiratory transmission to or between humans. The three isolates are therefore predicted to have no significant pandemic potential.
authors.affiliation: Anses, Unité VIPAC - LNR influenza aviaire, Ploufragan, France.|Université Bretagne-Loire, Rennes, France.
authors.forename: François-Xavier
authors.initials: FX
authors.lastname: Briand
authors.affiliation: Anses, Unité VIPAC - LNR influenza aviaire, Ploufragan, France.|Université Bretagne-Loire, Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Audrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.affiliation: Anses, Unité VIPAC - LNR influenza aviaire, Ploufragan, France.|Université Bretagne-Loire, Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Katell
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ogor
authors.affiliation: Anses, Unité VIPAC - LNR influenza aviaire, Ploufragan, France.|Université Bretagne-Loire, Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Aurélie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Le Prioux
authors.affiliation: Anses, Unité VIPAC - LNR influenza aviaire, Ploufragan, France.|Université Bretagne-Loire, Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guillou-Cloarec
authors.affiliation: Anses, Unité VIPAC - LNR influenza aviaire, Ploufragan, France.|Université Bretagne-Loire, Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Carole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guillemoto
authors.affiliation: Anses, Unité VIPAC - LNR influenza aviaire, Ploufragan, France.|Université Bretagne-Loire, Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Chantal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Allée
authors.affiliation: Anses, Unité VIPAC - LNR influenza aviaire, Ploufragan, France.|Université Bretagne-Loire, Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Marie-Odile
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Le Bras
authors.affiliation: Université Bretagne-Loire, Rennes, France.|Anses, Unité Génétique Virale et Biosécurité, Ploufragan, France.
authors.forename: Edouard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hirchaud
authors.affiliation: Université Bretagne-Loire, Rennes, France.|Anses, Unité Génétique Virale et Biosécurité, Ploufragan, France.
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Quenault
authors.affiliation: Université Bretagne-Loire, Rennes, France.|Anses, Unité Génétique Virale et Biosécurité, Ploufragan, France.
authors.forename: Fabrice
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Touzain
authors.affiliation: Anses, Unité VIPAC - LNR influenza aviaire, Ploufragan, France.|Université Bretagne-Loire, Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cherbonnel-Pansart
authors.affiliation: Anses, Unité VIPAC - LNR influenza aviaire, Ploufragan, France.|Université Bretagne-Loire, Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Evelyne
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lemaitre
authors.affiliation: Anses, Unité VIPAC - LNR influenza aviaire, Ploufragan, France.|Université Bretagne-Loire, Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Céline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Courtillon
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Départemental d'Analyses et de Recherche, Coulounieix Chamiers, France.
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gares
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Pyrénées et des Landes, Mont-de-Marsan, France.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Daniel
authors.affiliation: Direction Générale de l'Alimentation - MAAF, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fediaevsky
authors.affiliation: Anses, Unité VIPAC - LNR influenza aviaire, Ploufragan, France.|Université Bretagne-Loire, Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Pascale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Massin
authors.affiliation: Université Bretagne-Loire, Rennes, France.|Anses, Unité Génétique Virale et Biosécurité, Ploufragan, France.
authors.forename: Yannick
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Blanchard
authors.affiliation: Anses, Unité VIPAC - LNR influenza aviaire, Ploufragan, France.|Université Bretagne-Loire, Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Eterradossi
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur, Unité Génétique Moléculaire des Virus à ARN - CNR grippe, Paris, France.|Anses - Groupe d'Experts Spécialisé Santé Animale et Bien-être Animal, Maisons-Alfort, France.
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: van der Werf
authors.affiliation: Anses - Groupe d'Experts Spécialisé Santé Animale et Bien-être Animal, Maisons-Alfort, France.
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Jestin
authors.affiliation: Anses, Unité VIPAC - LNR influenza aviaire, Ploufragan, France.|Université Bretagne-Loire, Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Niqueux
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds; D002645:Chickens; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004372:Ducks; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D005814:Genes, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D053124:Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D053125:Influenza A Virus, H5N2 Subtype / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011200:Poultry / Q000821:virology; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000821:virology; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus; D012367:RNA, Viral
keywords: Avian influenza; H5; Zoonotic Potential; highly pathogenic; phylogeny