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Genotype Diversity, Wild Bird-to-Poultry Transmissions, and Farm-to-Farm Carryover during the Spread of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 in the Czech Republic in 2021/2022. Viruses 2023; 15:v15020293. [PMID: 36851507 PMCID: PMC9963064 DOI: 10.3390/v15020293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
In 2021/2022, the re-emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) occurred in Europe. The outbreak was seeded from two sources: resident and reintroduced viruses, which is unprecedented in the recorded history of avian influenza. The dominant subtype was H5N1, which replaced the H5N8 subtype that had predominated in previous seasons. In this study, we present a whole genome sequence and a phylogenetic analysis of 57 H5N1 HPAI and two low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) H5N1 strains collected in the Czech Republic during 2021/2022. Phylogenetic analysis revealed close relationships between H5N1 genomes from poultry and wild birds and secondary transmission in commercial geese. The genotyping showed considerable genetic heterogeneity among Czech H5N1 viruses, with six different HPAI genotypes, three of which were apparently unique. In addition, second-order reassortment relationships were observed with the direct involvement of co-circulating H5N1 LPAI strains. The genetic distance between Czech H5N1 HPAI and the closest LPAI segments available in the database illustrates the profound gaps in our knowledge of circulating LPAI strains. The changing dynamics of HPAI in the wild may increase the likelihood of future HPAI outbreaks and present new challenges in poultry management, biosecurity, and surveillance.
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Sikkema RS, de Bruin E, Ramakers C, Bentvelsen R, Li W, Bosch BJ, Westerhuis B, Haagmans B, Koopmans MPG, Fraaij PLA. Reduced Seasonal Coronavirus Antibody Responses in Children Following COVID-19 Mitigation Measures, The Netherlands. Viruses 2023; 15:212. [PMID: 36680252 PMCID: PMC9862716 DOI: 10.3390/v15010212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 prevention and control measures did not only impact SARS-CoV-2 circulation, but also the timing and prevalence of other seasonal respiratory viruses. Especially in children, information on exposure and infections to seasonal coronaviruses as well as SARS-CoV-2 in the first year of the pandemic is largely lacking. Therefore, we set up a one-year serological survey in a large tertiary hospital in the Netherlands. We show that seasonal coronavirus seroprevalence significantly decreased in 2021 in children less than one year, most likely due to COVID-19 control measures. The SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in children and adolescents increased from 0.4% to 11.3%, the highest in adolescents. This implies higher exposure rates in adolescents as compared to the general population (>18 years old). It is clear that there have been significant changes in the circulation and subsequent immunity against most respiratory pathogens as a result of the mitigation measures. The implications on shorter as well as longer term are still largely unknown, but the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and subsequent control measures will continue to affect the dynamics of other pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Erwin de Bruin
- Viroscience, Erasmus MC, 3015 Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Robbert Bentvelsen
- Microvida Laboratory for Microbiology, Amphia Hospital, 4818 Breda, The Netherlands
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Wentao Li
- Infectious Diseases & Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Berend-Jan Bosch
- Infectious Diseases & Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Bart Haagmans
- Viroscience, Erasmus MC, 3015 Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Pieter L. A. Fraaij
- Viroscience, Erasmus MC, 3015 Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Pediatrics, Erasmus MC-Sophia Children’s Hospital, 3015 Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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Günther A, Krone O, Svansson V, Pohlmann A, King J, Hallgrimsson GT, Skarphéðinsson KH, Sigurðardóttir H, Jónsson SR, Beer M, Brugger B, Harder T. Iceland as Stepping Stone for Spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus between Europe and North America. Emerg Infect Dis 2022; 28:2383-2388. [PMID: 36261139 PMCID: PMC9707596 DOI: 10.3201/eid2812.221086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) of hemagglutinin type H5 and clade 2.3.4.4b have widely spread within the northern hemisphere since 2020 and threaten wild bird populations, as well as poultry production. We present phylogeographic evidence that Iceland has been used as a stepping stone for HPAIV translocation from northern Europe to North America by infected but mobile wild birds. At least 2 independent incursions of HPAIV H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b assigned to 2 hemagglutinin clusters, B1 and B2, are documented for summer‒autumn 2021 and spring 2022. Spread of HPAIV H5N1 to and among colony-breeding pelagic avian species in Iceland is ongoing. Potentially devastating effects (i.e., local losses >25%) on these species caused by extended HPAIV circulation in space and time are being observed at several affected breeding sites throughout the North Atlantic.
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Letsholo SL, James J, Meyer SM, Byrne AMP, Reid SM, Settypalli TBK, Datta S, Oarabile L, Kemolatlhe O, Pebe KT, Mafonko BR, Kgotlele TJ, Kumile K, Modise B, Thanda C, Nyange JFC, Marobela-Raborokgwe C, Cattoli G, Lamien CE, Brown IH, Dundon WG, Banyard AC. Emergence of High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza Virus H5N1 Clade 2.3.4.4b in Wild Birds and Poultry in Botswana. Viruses 2022; 14:v14122601. [PMID: 36560605 PMCID: PMC9788244 DOI: 10.3390/v14122601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous outbreaks of high-pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) were reported during 2020-2021. In Africa, H5Nx has been detected in Benin, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Senegal, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa in both wild birds and poultry. Botswana reported its first outbreak of HPAI to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) in 2021. An H5N1 virus was detected in a fish eagle, doves, and chickens. Full genome sequence analysis revealed that the virus belonged to clade 2.3.4.4b and showed high identity within haemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase proteins (NA) for viruses identified across a geographically broad range of locations. The detection of H5N1 in Botswana has important implications for disease management, wild bird conservation, tourism, public health, economic empowerment of vulnerable communities and food security in the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha L. Letsholo
- Botswana National Veterinary Laboratory (BNVL), Private Bag 0035, Gaborone, Botswana
- Correspondence: (S.L.L.); (A.C.B.)
| | - Joe James
- Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)—Woodham Ln, Addlestone KT15 3NB, UK
| | - Stephanie M. Meyer
- Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)—Woodham Ln, Addlestone KT15 3NB, UK
| | | | - Scott M. Reid
- Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)—Woodham Ln, Addlestone KT15 3NB, UK
| | - Tirumala B. K. Settypalli
- Animal Production and Health Laboratory (APHL), United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)/International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory, IAEA Laboratories, Friedenstrasse 1, 2444 Seibersdorf, Austria
| | - Sneha Datta
- Animal Production and Health Laboratory (APHL), United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)/International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory, IAEA Laboratories, Friedenstrasse 1, 2444 Seibersdorf, Austria
| | - Letlhogile Oarabile
- Department of Veterinary Services (DVS), Ministry of Agriculture, Private Bag 0032, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Obakeng Kemolatlhe
- Department of Veterinary Services (DVS), Ministry of Agriculture, Private Bag 0032, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Kgakgamatso T. Pebe
- Department of Veterinary Services (DVS), Ministry of Agriculture, Private Bag 0032, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Bruce R. Mafonko
- Department of Veterinary Services (DVS), Ministry of Agriculture, Private Bag 0032, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Tebogo J. Kgotlele
- Botswana National Veterinary Laboratory (BNVL), Private Bag 0035, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Kago Kumile
- Botswana National Veterinary Laboratory (BNVL), Private Bag 0035, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Boitumelo Modise
- Botswana National Veterinary Laboratory (BNVL), Private Bag 0035, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Carter Thanda
- Botswana National Veterinary Laboratory (BNVL), Private Bag 0035, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - John F. C. Nyange
- Botswana National Veterinary Laboratory (BNVL), Private Bag 0035, Gaborone, Botswana
| | | | - Giovanni Cattoli
- Animal Production and Health Laboratory (APHL), United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)/International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory, IAEA Laboratories, Friedenstrasse 1, 2444 Seibersdorf, Austria
| | - Charles E. Lamien
- Animal Production and Health Laboratory (APHL), United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)/International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory, IAEA Laboratories, Friedenstrasse 1, 2444 Seibersdorf, Austria
| | - Ian H. Brown
- Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)—Woodham Ln, Addlestone KT15 3NB, UK
| | - William G. Dundon
- Animal Production and Health Laboratory (APHL), United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)/International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory, IAEA Laboratories, Friedenstrasse 1, 2444 Seibersdorf, Austria
| | - Ashley C. Banyard
- Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)—Woodham Ln, Addlestone KT15 3NB, UK
- Correspondence: (S.L.L.); (A.C.B.)
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Adlhoch C, Fusaro A, Gonzales JL, Kuiken T, Marangon S, Niqueux É, Staubach C, Terregino C, Guajardo IM, Chuzhakina K, Baldinelli F. Avian influenza overview June - September 2022. EFSA J 2022; 20:e07597. [PMID: 36247870 PMCID: PMC9552036 DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2022.7597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The 2021-2022 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) epidemic season is the largest HPAI epidemic so far observed in Europe, with a total of 2,467 outbreaks in poultry, 47.7 million birds culled in the affected establishments, 187 outbreaks in captive birds, and 3,573 HPAI virus detections in wild birds with an unprecedent geographical extent reaching from Svalbard islands to South Portugal and Ukraine, affecting 37 European countries. Between 11 June and 9 September 2022, 788 HPAI virus detections were reported in 16 European countries in poultry (56), captive (22) and wild birds (710). Several colony-breeding seabird species exhibited widespread and massive mortality from HPAI A(H5N1) virus along the northwest coast of Europe. This resulted in an unprecedentedly high level of HPAI virus detections in wild birds between June and August 2022 and represents an ongoing risk of infection for domestic birds. HPAI outbreaks were still observed in poultry from June to September with five-fold more infected premises than observed during the same period in 2021 and mostly distributed along the Atlantic coast. Response options to this new epidemiological situation include the definition and rapid implementation of suitable and sustainable HPAI mitigation strategies such as appropriate biosecurity measures and surveillance strategies for early detection in the different poultry production systems. The viruses currently circulating in Europe belong to clade 2.3.4.4b with seven genotypes, three of which identified for the first time during this time period, being detected during summer. HPAI A(H5) viruses were also detected in wild mammal species in Europe and North America and showed genetic markers of adaptation to replication in mammals. Since the last report, two A(H5N6), two A(H9N2) and one A(H10N3) human infections were reported in China. The risk of infection is assessed as low for the general population in the EU/EEA, and low to medium for occupationally exposed people.
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Isoda N, Onuma M, Hiono T, Sobolev I, Lim HY, Nabeshima K, Honjyo H, Yokoyama M, Shestopalov A, Sakoda Y. Detection of New H5N1 High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza Viruses in Winter 2021-2022 in the Far East, Which Are Genetically Close to Those in Europe. Viruses 2022; 14:v14102168. [PMID: 36298722 PMCID: PMC9606862 DOI: 10.3390/v14102168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Many high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) cases in wild birds due to H5N1 HPAI virus (HPAIV) infection were reported in northern Japan in the winter of 2021-2022. To investigate the epidemiology of HPAIVs brought to Japan from surrounding areas, a genetic analysis of H5 HPAIVs isolated in northern Japan was performed, and the pathogenicity of the HPAIV in chickens was assessed by experimental infection. Based on the genetic analysis of the hemagglutinin gene, pathogenic viruses detected in northern Japan as well as one in Sakhalin, the eastern part of Russia, were classified into the same subgroup as viruses prevalent in Europe in the same season but distinct from those circulating in Asia in winter 2020-2021. High identities of all eight segment sequences of A/crow/Hokkaido/0103B065/2022 (H5N1) (Crow/Hok), the representative isolates in northern Japan in 2022, to European isolates in the same season could also certify the unlikeliness of causing gene reassortment between H5 HPAIVs and viruses locally circulating in Asia. According to intranasal challenge results in six-week-old chickens, 50% of the chicken-lethal dose of Crow/Hok was calculated as 104.5 times of the 50% egg-infectious dose. These results demonstrated that the currently prevalent H5 HPAIVs could spread widely from certain origins throughout the Eurasian continent, including Europe and the Far East, and implied a possibility that contagious viruses are gathered in lakes in the northern territory via bird migration. Active monitoring of wild birds at the global level is essential to estimate the geographical source and spread dynamics of HPAIVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norikazu Isoda
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Hokkaido, Japan
- International Collaboration Unit, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Kita 20, Nishi 11, Kita-ku, Sapporo 001-0020, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Manabu Onuma
- Ecological Risk Assessment and Control Section for Environmental Biology and Ecosystem, Biology Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Onogawa 16-2, Tsukuba 305-8506, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Takahiro Hiono
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Hokkaido, Japan
- International Collaboration Unit, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Kita 20, Nishi 11, Kita-ku, Sapporo 001-0020, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Ivan Sobolev
- Institute of Virology of the Federal Research Center of Fundamental and Translational Medicine, Novosibirsk State University, Bild 2, Timakova St., Novosibirsk 630117, Russia
| | - Hew Yik Lim
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Kei Nabeshima
- Ecological Risk Assessment and Control Section for Environmental Biology and Ecosystem, Biology Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Onogawa 16-2, Tsukuba 305-8506, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hisako Honjyo
- Ecological Risk Assessment and Control Section for Environmental Biology and Ecosystem, Biology Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Onogawa 16-2, Tsukuba 305-8506, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Misako Yokoyama
- Ecological Risk Assessment and Control Section for Environmental Biology and Ecosystem, Biology Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Onogawa 16-2, Tsukuba 305-8506, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Alexander Shestopalov
- Institute of Virology of the Federal Research Center of Fundamental and Translational Medicine, Novosibirsk State University, Bild 2, Timakova St., Novosibirsk 630117, Russia
- Correspondence: (A.S.); (Y.S.); Tel./Fax: +7-383-335-9405 (A.S.); Tel.: +81-11-706-5207 (Y.S.); Fax: +81-11-706-5273 (Y.S.)
| | - Yoshihiro Sakoda
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 18, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Hokkaido, Japan
- International Collaboration Unit, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Kita 20, Nishi 11, Kita-ku, Sapporo 001-0020, Hokkaido, Japan
- Correspondence: (A.S.); (Y.S.); Tel./Fax: +7-383-335-9405 (A.S.); Tel.: +81-11-706-5207 (Y.S.); Fax: +81-11-706-5273 (Y.S.)
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Wild Bird Surveillance in the Gauteng Province of South Africa during the High-Risk Period for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus Introduction. Viruses 2022; 14:v14092027. [PMID: 36146838 PMCID: PMC9504564 DOI: 10.3390/v14092027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Migratory birds carried clade 2.3.4.4B H5Nx highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses to South Africa in 2017, 2018 and 2021, where the Gauteng Province is a high-risk zone for virus introduction. Here, we combined environmental faecal sampling with sensitive rRT-PCR methods and direct Ion Torrent sequencing to survey wild populations between February and May 2022. An overall IAV incidence of 42.92% (100/231) in water bird faecal swab pools or swabs from moribund or dead European White Storks (Ciconia ciconia) was detected. In total, 7% of the IAV-positive pools tested H5-positive, with clade 2.3.4.4B H5N1 HPAI confirmed in the storks; 10% of the IAV-positive samples were identified as H9N2, and five complete H9N2 genomes were phylogenetically closely related to a local 2021 wild duck H9N2 virus, recent Eurasian LPAI viruses or those detected in commercial ostriches in the Western and Eastern Cape Provinces since 2018. H3N1, H4N2, H5N2 and H8Nx subtypes were also identified. Targeted surveillance of wild birds using environmental faecal sampling can thus be effectively applied under sub-Saharan African conditions, but region-specific studies should first be used to identify peak prevalence times which, in southern Africa, is linked to the peak rainfall period, when ducks are reproductively active.
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Molecular Epidemiology and Evolutionary Analysis of Avian Influenza A(H5) Viruses Circulating in Egypt, 2019–2021. Viruses 2022; 14:v14081758. [PMID: 36016379 PMCID: PMC9415572 DOI: 10.3390/v14081758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N8 virus was first detected in Egypt in late 2016. Since then, the virus has spread rapidly among different poultry sectors, becoming the dominant HPAI H5 subtype reported in Egypt. Different genotypes of the HPAI H5N8 virus were reported in Egypt; however, the geographic patterns and molecular evolution of the Egyptian HPAI H5N8 viruses are still unclear. Here, extensive epidemiological surveillance was conducted, including more than half a million samples collected from different poultry sectors (farms/backyards/live bird markets) from all governorates in Egypt during 2019–2021. In addition, genetic characterization and evolutionary analyses were performed using 47 selected positive H5N8 isolates obtained during the same period. The result of the conducted surveillance showed that HPAI H5N8 viruses of clade 2.3.4.4b continue to circulate in different locations in Egypt, with an obvious seasonal pattern, and no further detection of the HPAI H5N1 virus of clade 2.2.1.2 was observed in the poultry population during 2019–2021. In addition, phylogenetic and Bayesian analyses revealed that two major genotypes (G5 and G6) of HPAI H5N8 viruses were continually expanding among the poultry sectors in Egypt. Notably, molecular dating analysis suggested that the Egyptian HPAI H5N8 virus is the potential ancestral viruses of the European H5N8 viruses of 2020–2021. In summary, the data of this study highlight the current epidemiology, diversity, and evolution of HPAI H5N8 viruses in Egypt and call for continuous monitoring of the genetic features of the avian influenza viruses in Egypt.
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