Abstract Title
Internal genes matter: evolutionary and ecological differences between two genotypes of H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b
Abstract
Among the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5 viruses of the Gs/GD/96 lineage, viruses of clade 2.3.4.4b have shown a high propensity to reassort. Since 2020, approximately 90 different H5Nx genotypes resulting from multiple reassortment events have been identified in wild and domestic birds in Europe, some of which have been associated with multiple spillover events in mammals. To investigate the potential impact that differing internal gene compositions may have on the evolution, zoonotic potential and adaptation to different hosts, we compared two genotypes, EA-2021-AB and EA-2022-BB, which have been extensively circulating in Europe since September 2021 and April 2022, respectively. The two genotypes differ for the PA, NP and NS genes, which in the viruses of the EA-2022-BB genotype were acquired from a gull-adapted H13 subtype. Our phylodynamic analyses suggest that Northern European countries are the major source of both genotypes, although their transmission patterns differ across geographic regions. In term of hosts, Anseriformes were identified as the major source for the EA-2021-AB genotype, whereas the spread of the EA-2022-BB genotype was primarily driven by Charadriiformes and Suliformes. The extensive circulation of the EA-2022-BB genotype in such host orders, which had never before been so severely affected by HPAI H5 viruses, may explain the higher number of positively selected sites in EA-2022-BB (N=33) compared to EA-2021-AB viruses (N=24). The changing ecology of H5N1, including adaptation to gulls, provides new opportunities for spillover into farmed mink and other mammals, increasing pandemic risk for humans.
Co-Author(s)
Enrico Savegnago1, Bianca Zecchin1, Ambra Pastori1, Dilhani de Silva2, Ashley C Banyard2, Alexander M.P. Byrne3, Joe James2, Ian H. Brown2, Claudia Bachofen4, Fereshteh Banihashem5, Siamak Zohari5, Nancy Beerens6, Evelien Germeraad6, Manon Bourg7, Francois-Xavier Briand8, Beatrice Grasland8, Caroline Bröjer9, Ron A M Fouchier10, Laura Garza-Cuartero11, Britt Gjerset12, Timm Harder13, Anne Pohlmann13, Charlotte Kristiane Hjulsager14, Laura Krivko15, Ken Lemon16, Michael J. McMenamy16, Yuan Liang17, Vladimir Savic18, Krzysztof Smietanka19, Edyta Swieton19, Chantal J. Snoeck20, Mieke Steensels21, Steven Van Borm21, Niina Tammiranta22, Tuija Gadd22, Alexander Nagy23, Montserrat Agüero-García24, Azucena Sánchez-Sánchez24, Sandra Revilla-Fernández25, Iuliana Onita26, Vasiliki Christodoulou27, George Georgiades28, Vilhjálmur Svansson29, Brigita Slavec30, Zuzana Dirbakova31, Martin Tinak31, Brigitte Brugger32, Teresa Fagulha33, Ana Margarida Henriques33, Aldin Lika34, Assane G Fall35, Fatou Tall35, Raki O Ba35, Abdou Ceesay36, Nídia S Trovão37, Martha I Nelson38, Ian H. Brown39, Calogero Terregino1, Alice Fusaro1 and Isabella Monne1
1European Reference Laboratory (EURL) for Avian Influenza and Newcastle Disease, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, viale dell’università 10, Legnaro, Padua 35020, Italy, 2WOAH/FAO international reference laboratory for Avian Infuenza and Newcastle Disease, Virology Department, Animal and Plant Health Agency-Weybridge, Woodham Lane, New Haw, Addlestone KT15 3NB, United Kingdom, 3The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom, 4Federal Department of Home Affairs FDHAInstitute of Virology and Immunology IVI, Sensemattstrasse 293, Mittelhausern 3147, Switzerland, 5Department of Microbiology, National Veterinary Institute (SVA), Travvagen 20, Uppsala 75189, Sweden, 6Department of VirologyWageningen Bioveterinary Research, Houtribweg 39, Lelystad 8221 RA, The Netherlands, 7Luxembourgish Veterinary and Food Administration (ALVA), State Veterinary Laboratory, 1 Rue Louis Rech, Dudelange 3555, Luxembourg, 8Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire, de l’Alimentation, de l’Environnement et du Travail, Laboratoire de Ploufragan-Plouzané-Niort, Unité de Virologie, Immunologie, Parasitologie Avaires et Cunicoles, 41 Rue de Beaucemaine – BP 53, Ploufragan 22440, France, 9Department of Pathology and Wildlife Disease, National Veterinary Institute (SVA), Travvagen 20, Uppsala 75189, Sweden, 10Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Dr. Molewaterplein 40, Rotterdam 3015 GD, The Netherlands, 11Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL), Backweston Campus, Stacumny Lane, Celbridge, Co. Kildare W23 X3PH, Ireland, 12Immunology & Virology department, Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Arboretveien 57, Oslo Pb 64, N-1431 Ås, Norway, 13Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Südufer 10, Greifswald-Insel Riems 17493, Germany, 14Department for Virus and Microbiological Special Diagnostics, Statens Serum Institut, 5 Artillerivej, Copenhagen DK-2300, Denmark, 15Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment (BIOR), Laboratory of Microbilogy and Pathology, 3 Lejupes Street, Riga 1076, Latvia, 16Virological Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Veterinary Sciences Division, Department of Virology, Agri-Food and Bioscience Institute (AFBI), Stoney Road, Belfast BT4 3SD, Northern Ireland, 17Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Grønnegårdsvej 15, Frederiksberg 1870, Denmark, 18Croatian Veterinary Institute, Poultry Centre, Heinzelova 55, Zagreb 10000, Croatia, 19Department of Poultry Diseases, National Veterinary Research Institute, Al. Partyzantow 57, Puławy 24-100, Poland, 20Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), Department of Infection and Immunity, 29 Rue Henri Koch, Esch-sur-Alzette 4354, Luxembourg, 21Avian Virology and Immunology, Sciensano, Rue Groeselenberg 99, Ukkel 1180, Ukkel, Belgium, 22Finnish Food Authority, Animal Health Diagnostic Unit, Veterinary Virology, Mustialankatu 3, Helsinki FI-00790, Finland, 23State Veterinary Institute Prague, Prague, Czech Republic, 24Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Laboratorio Central de Veterinaria (LCV), Ctra. M-106, Km 1,4 Algete, Madrid 28110, Spain, 25Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), Institute for Veterinary Disease Control, Robert Koch Gasse 17, Mödling 2340, Austria, 26Institute for Diagnosis and Animal Health (IDAH), Str. Dr. Staicovici 63, Bucharest 050557, Romania, 27Laboratory for Animal Health Virology SectionVeterinary Services (1417), 79, Athalassa Avenue Aglantzia, Nicosia 2109, Cyprus, 28Thessaloniki Veterinary Centre (TVC), Department of Avian Diseases, 26th October Street 80, Thessaloniki 54627, Greece, 29Biomedical Center, Institute for Experimental Pathology, University of Iceland, Keldnavegi 3 112 Reykjavík Ssn. 650269 4549, Keldur 851, Iceland and 30University of Ljubljana – Veterinary Faculty/National Veterinary Institute, Gerbiceva ̌60, Ljubljana 1000, Slovenia 31Department of Animal Health, State Veterinary Institute, Pod Dráhami 918, Zvolen 96086, Slovakia, 32Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority, Austurvegur 64, Selfoss 800, Iceland, 33I.P. (INIAV, I.P.), Avenida da República, Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, Quinta do Marquês, Oeiras 2780 – 157, Portugal, 34Animal Health Department, Food Safety and Veterinary Institute, Rruga Aleksandër Moisiu 10, Tirana 1001, Albania, 35Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles–Laboratoire National de l’Elevage et de Recherches Vétérinaires, Dakar-Hann, Senegal, 36Gambia Veterinary Services Department of Livestock Services, Abuko, Gambia, 37National Institutes of Health, Fogarty International Center, Bethesda, MD, United States of America, 38 National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, United States of America, 39Pirbright Institute, Woking, Surrey, GU24 0NF, UK
Abstract Category
Avian influenza in mammals, pandemic preparedness, and one health