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. 2022 Aug;28(8):1703-1707.
doi: 10.3201/eid2808.212241. Epub 2022 Jul 12.

Novel Reassortant Avian Influenza A(H5N6) Virus, China, 2021

Junhong Chen, Lingyu Xu, Tengfei Liu, Shumin Xie, Ke Li, Xiao Li, Mengmeng Zhang, Yifan Wu, Xinkai Wang, Jinfeng Wang, Keyi Shi, Beibei Niu, Ming Liao, Weixin Jia

Novel Reassortant Avian Influenza A(H5N6) Virus, China, 2021

Junhong Chen et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2022 Aug.

Abstract

Although reports of human infection with influenza A(H5N6) increased in 2021, reports of similar H5N6 virus infection in poultry are few. We detected 10 avian influenza A(H5N6) clade 2.3.4.4b viruses in poultry from 4 provinces in China. The viruses showed strong immune-escape capacity and complex genetic reassortment, suggesting further transmission risk.

Keywords: China; avian influenza A(H5N6) virus; influenza; influenza A virus; poultry diseases; reassortant viruses; viral zoonoses; viruses; zoonoses.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of confirmed cases of avian influenza A(H5N6) virus in humans, China, 2021. A) Provinces of the outbreaks and number of infected persons. A red X indicates a deceased person, and colors represent the number of infected persons. B) Region of novel H5N6 virus isolation from birds (chickens, ducks) and the environment (green icon). The red areas on the map indicate the provinces where human cases occurred in 2021. Insets indicate islands of China, additional sites of poultry breeding and human habitation.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Visual depictions of avian influenza A(H5N6) viruses from China, 2021, and reference viruses. A) Maximum-likelihood phylogenetic tree showing comparisons with 332 H5 reference sequences downloaded from the GISAID database (http://www.gisaid.org). The Guizhou strain (A/Guizhou/1/2012) was set as the tree root, and all influenza A(H5N1) strains were set as the outgroup. Re-X/rFJ56 represents vaccine strains. To the left of each clade are images showing the corresponding primary hosts. On the right side is the dynamic reassortment profile of each avian (H5N6 virus in the phylogenetic tree; colors represent gene segments. Colored boxes below the graph correspond to possible potential donor viruses. B) Novel avian and environmental origin H5N6 strains. Red circles represent human strains (Appendix Tables 13–17). HA, hemagglutinin; LPAIV, low-pathogenicity avian influenza virus; NA, neuraminidase; NS, nonstructural; M, matrix. PA, polymerase acidic; PB, polymerase basic.
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