Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Feb 1;11(2):a038679.
doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a038679.

Pathobiological Origins and Evolutionary History of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Viruses

Dong-Hun Lee  1 , Miria Ferreira Criado  2 , David E Swayne  2
Affiliations
Review

Pathobiological Origins and Evolutionary History of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Viruses

Dong-Hun Lee et al. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. .

Abstract

High-pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) viruses have arisen from low-pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI) viruses via changes in the hemagglutinin proteolytic cleavage site, which include mutation of multiple nonbasic to basic amino acids, duplication of basic amino acids, or recombination with insertion of cellular or viral amino acids. Between 1959 and 2019, a total of 42 natural, independent H5 (n = 15) and H7 (n = 27) LPAI to HPAI virus conversion events have occurred in Europe (n = 16), North America (n = 9), Oceania (n = 7), Asia (n = 5), Africa (n = 4), and South America (n = 1). Thirty-eight of these HPAI outbreaks were limited in the number of poultry premises affected and were eradicated. However, poultry outbreaks caused by A/goose/Guangdong/1/1996 (H5Nx), Mexican H7N3, and Chinese H7N9 HPAI lineages have continued. Active surveillance and molecular detection and characterization efforts will provide the best opportunity for early detection and eradication from domestic birds.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Geographic origin of H5 and H7 high-pathogenicity avian influenza viruses by country from 1959 to 2019. (A) Map based on average of longitude and average of latitude. Color shows details about subtype. Size shows sum of number of records. The marks are labeled by sum of number of records. Details are shown for each country. (B) Year for each country broken down by continent. Color shows details about subtype. Size shows number of records.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Bayesian relaxed clock phylogenetic analysis of the H5 (A) and H7 (B) HA genes for 39 high-pathogenicity avian influenza viruses that emerged since 1959.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Bayesian relaxed clock phylogenetic analysis of the H5 (A) and H7 (B) HA genes for 39 high-pathogenicity avian influenza viruses that emerged since 1959.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Four waves of intercontinental transmission of Gs/GD lineage H5Nx virus: (A) Clade 2.2, 2005-2006, wave 1. (B) Clade 2.3.2.1c, 2009-2010, wave 2; Clade 2.3.2.1.c, 2014-2015, wave 3b. (C) Clade 2.3.4.4a, 2014-2015, wave 3a; Clade 2.3.4.4b, 2016-2017, wave 4. (Maps modified, with permission, from https://d-maps.com/carte.php?num_car=3503&lang=en.)
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Four waves of intercontinental transmission of Gs/GD lineage H5Nx virus: (A) Clade 2.2, 2005-2006, wave 1. (B) Clade 2.3.2.1c, 2009-2010, wave 2; Clade 2.3.2.1.c, 2014-2015, wave 3b. (C) Clade 2.3.4.4a, 2014-2015, wave 3a; Clade 2.3.4.4b, 2016-2017, wave 4. (Maps modified, with permission, from https://d-maps.com/carte.php?num_car=3503&lang=en.)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Abdelwhab EM, Veits J, Tauscher K, Ziller M, Grund C, Hassan MK, Shaheen M, Harder TC, Teifke J, Stech J, et al. 2016. Progressive glycosylation of the haemagglutinin of avian influenza H5N1 modulates virus replication, virulence and chicken-to-chicken transmission without significant impact on antigenic drift. J Gen Virol 97: 3193–3204. 10.1099/jgv.0.000648 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Abolnik C. 2007. Molecular characterization of H5N2 avian influenza viruses isolated from South African ostriches in 2006. Avian Dis 51: 873–879. 10.1637/7953-022107-REGR.1 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Abolnik C. 2017. Evolution of H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza: sequence data indicate stepwise changes in the cleavage site. Arch Virol 162: 2219–2230. 10.1007/s00705-017-3337-x - DOI - PubMed
    1. Abolnik C, Londt BZ, Manvell RJ, Shell W, Banks J, Gerdes GH, Akol G, Brown IH. 2009. Characterisation of a highly pathogenic influenza A virus of subtype H5N2 isolated from ostriches in South Africa in 2004. Influenza Other Respir Viruses 3: 63–68. 10.1111/j.1750-2659.2009.00074.x - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Alexander DJ. 2000. The history of avian influenza in poultry. World Poultry Nov: 7–8.

MeSH terms