Commentary
Migration of H5N1 Clade 9 Into Indonesia
Recombinomics Commentary 18:01
July 4, 2008
The difference of the protein composition caused the bird flu vaccine that until now was used in Indonesia to become ineffective.
Despite this, Musny guaranteed the bird flu virus of H5N1 strain Purwakarta not turn off like strain other bird flu.
The difference that was specific in the protein composition in strain Purwakarta, according to Musny, happened resulting from the mutation in the virus body personally.
The above translation describes a new Indonesian strain of avian influenza that is not covered well by current vaccines. Although there are public H5N1 sequences from Purwakarta, the public sequences are from 2004 and are clade 2.1, which is the clade found throughout Indonesia (see phylogram). The number of public 2007 sequences from Indonesia is limited, and there are no public 2008 sequences, so the relationship between the strain described in the local media, and recent isolates cannot be independently confirmed.
However, there is a small number of 2006 isolates from west Java that are clearly not clade 2.1. This new clade represents an independent introduction, and the public sequences (see list below) are limited to waterfowl and are most closely related to clade 9 sequences in China.
The location of the clade 9 sequences suggest that the Indonesian sequences were due to migratory birds flying along the Australia / East Asia Flyway and raise concerns that the current public sequences from Indonesia seriously under-represents the H5N1 diversity in Indonesia.
More testing of waterfowl, and release of 2007 and 2008 sequences from Indonesia, would be useful.
A/heron/Cicurug/IPB25-RS/2006
A/duck/Leuwiliang/IPB3-RS/2006
A/muscovy duck/Klapanunggal/IPB1-RS/2006
A/goose/Leuwiliang/IPB4-RS/2006
A/muscovy duck/Cileungsi/IPB5-RS/2006
A/goose/Bojonggenteng/IPB2-RS/2006
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