Swarm incursions of reassortants of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus strains H5N8 and H5N5, clade 2.3.4.4b, Germany, winter 2016/17

Anne Pohlmann; Elke Starick; Christian Grund; Dirk Höper; Günter Strebelow; Anja Globig; Christoph Staubach; Franz J Conraths; Thomas C Mettenleiter; Timm Harder; Martin Beer

doi:10.1038/s41598-017-16936-8

Swarm incursions of reassortants of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus strains H5N8 and H5N5, clade 2.3.4.4b, Germany, winter 2016/17

Sci Rep. 2018 Jan 8;8(1):15. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-16936-8.

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel, Riems, Germany.
² Institute of Epidemiology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel, Riems, Germany.
³ Institute of Molecular Virology and Cell Biology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel, Riems, Germany.
⁴ Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel, Riems, Germany. timm.harder@fli.de.

Abstract

The outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5Nx viruses in winter 2016/2017 was the most severe HPAI epizootic ever reported in Germany. The H5N8 and H5N5 viruses detected in birds in Germany in 2016/2017 represent a reassortant swarm of at least five distinct genotypes, which carried closely related HA segments derived from clade 2.3.4.4b. The genotypes of these viruses and their spatio-temporal distribution indicated a unique situation with multiple independent entries of HPAIV into Germany.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Birds
Genetic Variation
Germany / epidemiology
Humans
Influenza A virus / classification
Influenza A virus / genetics*
Influenza, Human / epidemiology
Influenza, Human / virology*
Phylogeny
Reassortant Viruses / genetics*
Seasons*