Cross-species spill-over potential of the H9N2 bat influenza A virus

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 15; no. 1; pp. 3449 - 12
• Main Authors: El-Shesheny, Rabeh, Franks, John, Kandeil, Ahmed, Badra, Rebecca, Turner, Jasmine, Seiler, Patrick, Marathe, Bindumadhav M., Jeevan, Trushar, Kercher, Lisa, Hu, Meng, Sim, Yul Eum, Hui, Kenrie P. Y., Chan, Michael C. W., Thompson, Andrew J., McKenzie, Pamela, Govorkova, Elena A., Russell, Charles J., Vogel, Peter, Paulson, James C., Peiris, J. S. Malik, Webster, Robert G., Ali, Mohamed A., Kayali, Ghazi, Webby, Richard J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 25.04.2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 13/1; 13/21; 13/51; 45/77; 45/88; 45/90; 631/1647/334/1874/345; 631/326/421; 631/326/596/1578; 631/326/596/2563; 64; 64/60; Airborne infection; Animals; Aquatic birds; Avian flu; Chiroptera - virology; Ducks - virology; Exo-a-sialidase; Female; Ferrets - virology; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Inactivation; Influenza; Influenza A; Influenza A Virus, H9N2 Subtype - isolation & purification; Influenza A Virus, H9N2 Subtype - pathogenicity; Influenza A Virus, H9N2 Subtype - physiology; Influenza in Birds - transmission; Influenza in Birds - virology; Influenza, Human - transmission; Influenza, Human - virology; Lung - virology; Lungs; Male; Males; Mice; multidisciplinary; Mustela; Neuraminidase - metabolism; Orthomyxoviridae; Orthomyxoviridae Infections - transmission; Orthomyxoviridae Infections - virology; Receptors; Receptors, Cell Surface; Respiratory tract; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Virus Replication; Viruses; Egypt
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47635-4

In 2017, a novel influenza A virus (IAV) was isolated from an Egyptian fruit bat. In contrast to other bat influenza viruses, the virus was related to avian A(H9N2) viruses and was probably the result of a bird-to-bat transmission event. To determine the cross-species spill-over potential, we biologically characterize features of A/bat/Egypt/381OP/2017(H9N2). The virus has a pH inactivation profile and neuraminidase activity similar to those of human-adapted IAVs. Despite the virus having an avian virus–like preference for α2,3 sialic acid receptors, it is unable to replicate in male mallard ducks; however, it readily infects ex-vivo human respiratory cell cultures and replicates in the lungs of female mice. A/bat/Egypt/381OP/2017 replicates in the upper respiratory tract of experimentally-infected male ferrets featuring direct-contact and airborne transmission. These data suggest that the bat A(H9N2) virus has features associated with increased risk to humans without a shift to a preference for α2,6 sialic acid receptors. In this study, the authors report that a bat influenza A (H9N2) virus shows receptor binding features similar to avian influenza viruses, efficiently infects ex-vivo human respiratory cells and replicates in the lungs of mice and upper respiratory tract of ferrets following airborne transmission.