Novel Zoonotic Avian Influenza A(H3N8) Virus in Chicken, Hong Kong, China

• Published in: Emerging infectious diseases Vol. 28; no. 10; pp. 2009 - 2015
• Main Authors: Sit, Thomas H C, Sun, Wanying, Tse, Anne C N, Brackman, Christopher J, Cheng, Samuel M S, Tang, Amy W Yan, Cheung, Jonathan T L, Peiris, Malik, Poon, Leo L M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases 01.10.2022; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Subjects: Agriculture; Animals; Avian flu; Avian influenza; Avian influenza virus; Avian influenza viruses; Birds; Chickens; China - epidemiology; Cytochrome; Drinking water; emergence; Farms; Feces; Genomes; H3N8; Hemagglutinins; Hong Kong - epidemiology; Human populations; Humans; Identification and classification; influenza; Influenza A Virus, H3N2 Subtype - genetics; Influenza A Virus, H3N8 Subtype; Influenza A Virus, H7N9 Subtype - genetics; Influenza A Virus, H9N2 Subtype - genetics; Influenza in Birds; influenza virus; Influenza, Human - epidemiology; Neuraminidase - genetics; Pandemics; Phylogenetics; Phylogeny; Poultry; Public health; Risk factors; Serology; Viruses; Waterfowl; Zoonoses; Hong Kong; China; Hong Kong China; Switzerland; influenza; chicken; viruses; Hong Kong; emergence; zoonoses; immunity; respiratory infections; population; H3N8; China; serology; Avian influenza virus; influenza virus; human; novel
• ISSN: 1080-6040; 1080-6059; 1080-6059
• DOI: 10.3201/eid2810.221067

Zoonotic and pandemic influenza continue to pose threats to global public health. Pandemics arise when novel influenza A viruses, derived in whole or in part from animal or avian influenza viruses, adapt to transmit efficiently in a human population that has little population immunity to contain its onward transmission. Viruses of previous pandemic concern, such as influenza A(H7N9), arose from influenza A(H9N2) viruses established in domestic poultry acquiring a hemagglutinin and neuraminidase from influenza A viruses of aquatic waterfowl. We report a novel influenza A(H3N8) virus in chicken that has emerged in a similar manner and that has been recently reported to cause zoonotic disease. Although they are H3 subtype, these avian viruses are antigenically distant from contemporary human influenza A(H3N2) viruses, and there is little cross-reactive immunity in the human population. It is essential to heighten surveillance for these avian A(H3N8) viruses in poultry and in humans.