Phylogenetic and Phylogeographic Analysis of the Highly Pathogenic H5N6 Avian Influenza Virus in China

Hanlin Liu; Changrong Wu; Zifeng Pang; Rui Zhao; Ming Liao; Hailiang Sun

doi:10.3390/v14081752

Phylogenetic and Phylogeographic Analysis of the Highly Pathogenic H5N6 Avian Influenza Virus in China

Viruses. 2022 Aug 11;14(8):1752. doi: 10.3390/v14081752.

Authors

Hanlin Liu^{1

2

3}, Changrong Wu^{1

2

3}, Zifeng Pang^{1

2

3}, Rui Zhao^{1

2

3}, Ming Liao^{4

5}, Hailiang Sun^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.
² Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Control and Prevention of Guangdong Province, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.
³ National and Regional Joint Engineering Laboratory for Medicament of Zoonosis Prevention and Control, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China.
⁴ Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China.
⁵ Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Avian Influenza and Other Major Poultry Diseases, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510640, China.

Abstract

The clade 2.3.4.4b H5N8 avian influenza viruses (AIVs) have caused the loss of more than 33 million domestic poultry worldwide since January 2020. Novel H5N6 reassortants with hemagglutinin (HA) from clade 2.3.4.4b H5N8 AIVs are responsible for multiple human infections in China. Therefore, we conducted an epidemiological survey on waterfowl farms in Sichuan and Guangxi provinces and performed a comprehensive spatiotemporal analysis of H5N6 AIVs in China. At the nucleotide level, the H5N6 AIVs isolated in the present study exhibited high homology with the H5N6 AIVs that caused human infections. Demographic history indicates that clade 2.3.4.4b seemingly replaced clade 2.3.4.4h to become China's predominant H5N6 AIV clade. Based on genomic diversity, we classified clade 2.3.4.4b H5N6 AIV into ten genotypes (2.3.4.4bG1-G10), of which the 2.3.4.4bG5 and G10 AIVs can cause human infections. Phylogeographic results suggest that Hong Kong and Jiangxi acted as important epicentres for clades 2.3.4.4b and 2.3.4.4h, respectively. Taken together, our study provides critical insight into the evolution and spread of H5N6 AIVs in China, which indicates that the novel 2.3.4.4b reassortants pose challenges for public health and poultry.

Keywords: 2.3.4.4b reassortant; H5N6 avian influenza virus; evolution; phylogeographic analysis.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Animals
China / epidemiology
Geographic Mapping
Humans
Influenza A virus*
Influenza in Birds* / epidemiology
Influenza, Human*
Phylogeny
Poultry

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the special fund for scientific innovation strategy-construction of high-level Academy of Agriculture Science-Distinguished Scholar (R2020PY-JC001).