Age is a determinant factor in the susceptibility of domestic ducks to H5 clade 2.3.2.1c and 2.3.4.4e high pathogenicity avian influenza viruses

Sun-Hak Lee; Jiho Lee; Jin-Yong Noh; Jei-Hyun Jeong; Jun-Beom Kim; Jung-Hoon Kwon; Sungsu Youk; Chang-Seon Song; Dong-Hun Lee

doi:10.3389/fvets.2023.1207289

Age is a determinant factor in the susceptibility of domestic ducks to H5 clade 2.3.2.1c and 2.3.4.4e high pathogenicity avian influenza viruses

Front Vet Sci. 2023 Jul 20:10:1207289. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1207289. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Sun-Hak Lee¹, Jiho Lee¹, Jin-Yong Noh^{1

2}, Jei-Hyun Jeong^{1

2}, Jun-Beom Kim^{1

2}, Jung-Hoon Kwon³, Sungsu Youk⁴, Chang-Seon Song^{1

2}, Dong-Hun Lee⁵

Affiliations

¹ Avian Disease Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
² KHAV Co., Ltd., Seoul, Republic of Korea.
³ Laboratory of Veterinary Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
⁴ Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju-si, Republic of Korea.
⁵ Wildlife Health Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Abstract

High pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) is a viral disease with devastating consequences for the poultry industry worldwide. Domestic ducks are a major source of HPAI viruses in many Eurasian countries. The infectivity and pathogenicity of HPAI viruses in ducks vary depending on host and viral factors. To assess the factors influencing the infectivity and pathogenicity of HPAI viruses in ducks, we compared the pathobiology of two HPAI viruses (H5N1 clade 2.3.2.1c and H5N6 clade 2.3.4.4e) in 5- and 25-week-old ducks. Both HPAI viruses caused mortality in a dose-dependent manner (10⁴, 10⁶, and 10⁸ EID₅₀) in young ducks. By contrast, adult ducks were infected but exhibited no mortality due to either virus. Viral excretion was higher in young ducks than in adults, regardless of the HPAI strain. These findings demonstrate the age-dependent mortality of clade 2.3.2.1c and clade 2.3.4.4e H5 HPAI viruses in ducks.

Keywords: age-related pathogenicity; clade 2.3.2.1c H5N1; clade 2.3.4.4e H5N6; duck; high pathogenicity avian influenza.