Emergence and spread of novel H5N8, H5N5 and H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4 highly pathogenic avian influenza in 2020

ABSTRACT

Analyses of HPAI H5 viruses from poultry outbreaks across a wide Eurasian region since July 2020 including the Russian Federation, Republics of Iraq and Kazakhstan, and recent detections in migratory waterfowl in the Netherlands, revealed undetected maintenance of H5N8, likely in galliform poultry since 2017/18 and both H5N5 and H5N1. All viruses belong to A/H5 clade 2.3.4.4b with closely related HA genes. Heterogeneity in Eurasian H5Nx HPAI emerging variants threatens poultry production, food security and veterinary public health.

KEYWORDS:

• Influenza
• emergence
• HPAI
• Eurasia
• avian

Acknowledgements

RAMF wishes to acknowledge technical assistance from Leon Kelder, Oanh Vuong, Rachel Scheuer and Theo Bestebroer. All authors acknowledge GISAID data contributors.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Erasmus MC were supported by NIAID/NIH contract: [Grant Number HHSN272201400008C]; U.K. Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra); the Scottish Government; and the Welsh Government: [Grant Number SV3006]; Linkage between APHA and Kazakhstan was supported by an OIE funded laboratory twinning grant: [Grant Number OR1078].