Transmission of Eurasian avian H2 influenza virus to shorebirds in North America

• Published in: Journal of general virology Vol. 80; no. 12; pp. 3167 - 3171
• Main Authors: Makarova, N. V, Kaverin, N. V, Krauss, S, Senne, D, Webster, R. G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Soc General Microbiol 01.12.1999
• Subjects: Animals; Asia; Birds - virology; Europe; Genes, Viral; Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests; Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus - genetics; Humans; Influenza A virus; Influenza A virus - genetics; Influenza A virus - isolation & purification; Influenza in Birds - transmission; Influenza in Birds - virology; North America; pandemics; Phylogeny; Poultry - virology; Asia; North America; Europe
• ISSN: 0022-1317; 1465-2099
• DOI: 10.1099/0022-1317-80-12-3167

The D. I. Ivanovsky Institute of Virology, Gamaleya Str. 16, Moscow 123098, Russia 1 St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Department of Virology and Molecular Biology, 332 N. Lauderdale, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA 2 Avian Viruses Section, Diagnostic Virology Laboratory, National Veterinary Service Laboratories, APHIS, United States Department of Agriculture, PO Box 844, Ames, Iowa 50010, USA 3 Author for correspondence: Natalia Makarova (at The D. I. Ivanovsky Institute of Virology). Fax +7 095 5165314. e-mail finmed{at}glasnet.ru Influenza A virus of the H2 subtype caused a serious pandemic in 1957 and may cause similar outbreaks in the future. To assess the evolution and the antigenic relationships of avian influenza H2 viruses, we sequenced the haemagglutinin (HA) genes of H2 isolates from shorebirds, ducks and poultry in North America and derived a phylogenetic tree to establish their interrelationships. This analysis confirmed the divergence of H2 HA into two geographical lineages, American and Eurasian. One group of viruses isolated from shorebirds in North America had HA belonging to the Eurasian lineage, indicating an interregional transmission of the H2 gene. Characterization of HA with a monoclonal antibody panel revealed that the antigenicity of the Delaware strains differed from the other avian strains analysed. The data emphasizes the importance of avian influenza surveillance.