Pakistan H5N1 Sequences Similar to Afghanistan
Recombinomics Commentary 18:37
February 4, 2008
Sequences from Pakistan are being released at Genbank. There are three set of HA and NA sequences. One set is from 2006, A/goose/Lahore-Pakistan/NARC-3321/4/2006, while the other two are from 2007, A/peacock/Mansehra-Pakistan/NARC-7558/02/2007 and A/turkey/Islamabad-Pakistan/NARC-7871/02/2007. All three sequences are most closely related to 2006 sequences from Afghanistan. These are clade 2.2.3, as are sequences from India and Korea.
Like the 2006 clade 2.2.3 previously published, these sequences do not have NA G743A. It is unclear if the 2007 are from the beginning or end of 2007. However, they are distinct from the Uva Lake sequences, which have spread throughout Europe in 2007.
Like sequences in Egypt, the 2007 sequences are more genetically complex than the 2006 sequences.
It is likely that the sequences from late 2007 that were linked to human cases in northwest Pakistan will be related to these sequences.
The collection dates on the 2007 isolates would be useful.
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