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. 2016 Dec:499:52-64.
doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2016.08.036. Epub 2016 Sep 12.

Changes in adaptation of H5N2 highly pathogenic avian influenza H5 clade 2.3.4.4 viruses in chickens and mallards

Eric DeJesus  1 , Mar Costa-Hurtado  2 , Diane Smith  3 , Dong-Hun Lee  4 , Erica Spackman  5 , Darrell R Kapczynski  6 , Mia Kim Torchetti  7 , Mary L Killian  8 , David L Suarez  9 , David E Swayne  10 , Mary J Pantin-Jackwood  11
Affiliations

Changes in adaptation of H5N2 highly pathogenic avian influenza H5 clade 2.3.4.4 viruses in chickens and mallards

Eric DeJesus et al. Virology. 2016 Dec.

Abstract

H5N2 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses caused a severe poultry outbreak in the United States (U.S.) during 2015. In order to examine changes in adaptation of this viral lineage, the infectivity, pathogenicity and transmission of poultry H5N2 viruses were investigated in chickens and mallards in comparison to the wild duck 2014 U.S. index H5N2 virus. The four poultry isolates examined had a lower mean bird infectious dose than the index virus but still transmitted poorly to direct contacts. In mallards, two of the H5N2 poultry isolates had similar high infectivity and transmissibility as the index H5N2 virus, the H5N8 U.S. index virus, and a 2005 H5N1 clade 2.2 virus. Mortality occurred with the H5N1 virus and, interestingly, with one of two poultry H5N2 isolates. Increased virus adaptation to chickens was observed with the poultry H5N2 viruses; however these viruses retained high adaptation to mallards but pathogenicity was differently affected.

Keywords: Adaptation; Chickens; H5N1; H5N2; H5N8; Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus; Infectivity; Mallards; Pathogenicity; Transmission.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Oropharyngeal (OP) and cloacal (CL) viral shed detected by qRRT-PCR from 4-week-old chickens directly inoculated with poultry H5N2 HPAI viruses (bars represent mean and standard deviation). A. A/turkey/Minnesota/12582/2015 (H5N2) (A/Tk/MN/15). B. A/turkey/South Dakota/12511/2015 (H5N2) (A/Tk/SD/15). C. A/chicken/Iowa/13388/2015 (H5N2) (A/Ck/IA/15). D. A/turkey/Arkansas/7791/2015 (H5N2) (A/Tk/AR/15).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Immunohistochemical detection of viral antigen in 4-week-old chickens intranasally inoculated with106 EID50 of poultry H5N2 viruses. A/turkey/Minnesota/12582/2015 (A, B, D, G, I), and A/chicken/Iowa/13388/2015 (C, E, F, H). A. Viral antigen (in red) in epithelium of air capillaries and mononuclear cells in the lung. B. Viral antigen in cardiac myocytes. C. Viral antigen in acinar cells in pancreas. D. Viral antigen in mononuclear cells in the spleen. E. Viral staining in adrenal corticotropic cells. F. Viral antigen in neurons and ependymal cells in the brain. G. Viral staining in histiocytes in the thymus. H. Viral staining in tubular epithelial cells in kidney. I. Viral staining in vascular endothelial cells and infiltrating mononuclear cells in eyelid. Magnification 40X.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Oropharyngeal (OP) and cloacal (CL) viral shed detected by qRRT-PCR from 2-week-old mallards directly inoculated with poultry H5N2 HPAI viruses (bars represent mean and standard deviation). A. A/turkey/Minnesota/12582/2015 (H5N2) (A/Tk/MN/15). B. A/chicken/Iowa/13388/2015 (H5N2) (A/Ck/IA/15).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Oropharyngeal (OP) and cloacal (CL) viral shed detected by qRRT-PCR from 2-week-old mallards directly inoculated with the H5N2 and H5N8 HPAI U.S. index viruses and a H5N1 Goose/Guangdong lineage virus (bars represent mean and standard deviation). A, A/Northern pintail/Washington/40964/2014 (H5N2) (A/Np/WA/14). B. A/gyrfalcon/Washington/40188-6/2014 (H5N8) (A/Gf/WA/14). C A/Whooper swan/Mongolia/244/2005 (H5N1) (A/Ws/Mongolia/05).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Histological lesions and immunohistochemical detection of viral antigen in 2-week-old mallards intranasally inoculated with 106 EID50 of A/Tk/MN/15 H5N2 HPAI virus. Tissues were collected at 3 dpi (A, B, C) and at 9 dpi (D, E, F). Viral antigen (in red) in epithelial cells and infiltrating mononuclear cells in trachea (A) and Harderian gland (B) and in neurons and glial cells of the cerebrum (C). Lymphoplasmacytic cell infiltration in skeletal muscle (D), heart (F), and forming perivascular cuffs in the cerebrum (E). Magnification 40X).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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