title: Highly pathogenic H5N6 influenza A viruses recovered from wild birds in Guangdong, southern China, 2014-2015.
abstract: Since 2013, highly pathogenic (HP) H5N6 influenza A viruses (IAVs) have emerged in poultry in Asia, especially Southeast Asia. These viruses have also caused sporadic infections in humans within the same geographic areas. Active IAV surveillance in wild birds sampled in Guangdong province, China from August 2014 through February 2015 resulted in the recovery of three H5N6 IAVs. These H5N6 IAV isolates possess the basic amino acid motif at the HA1-HA2 cleavage site that is associated with highly pathogenic IAVs infecting chickens. Noteworthy findings include: (1) the HP H5N6 IAV isolates were recovered from three species of apparently healthy wild birds (most other isolates of HP H5N6 IAV in Asia are recovered from dead wild birds or fecal samples in the environment) and (2) these isolates were apparently the first recoveries of HP H5N6 IAV for two of the three species thus expanding the demonstrated natural host range for these lineages of virus. This investigation provides additional insight into the natural history of HP H5N6 IAVs and identifies the occurrence of non-lethal, HP H5N6 IAV infections in wild birds thereby demonstrating the value of active IAV surveillance in wild birds.
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.|Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510642, China.|State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Department of Experimental Research, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, China.
authors.forename: Yinfeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.|Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.|Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510642, China.
authors.forename: Minsha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.|Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510642, China.|Key Laboratory for Repository and Application of Pathogenic Microbiology, Research Center for Pathogens Detection Technology of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou 510000, China.
authors.forename: Runyu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.|Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China.
authors.forename: Can
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.|Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510642, China.
authors.forename: Yangtong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.|Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510642, China.
authors.forename: Pei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.|Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.|Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510642, China.
authors.forename: Xiaqiong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.|Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510642, China.
authors.forename: Yanling
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 1A8, Canada.|Banting and Best Diabetes Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 1A8, Canada.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Irwin
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.|Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510642, China.
authors.forename: Yongyi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.|Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Prevention and Control of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510642, China.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ren
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000821:virology*; D001717:Birds / Q000821:virology*; D002645:Chickens / Q000821:virology; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D010802:Phylogeny