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Commentary
Fujian H5N8 Accelerated Spread In Germany
Recombinomics Commentary
December 20, 2014 20:00
The H5 was most closely related (1338/1342 matches) to A/duck/England/36254/14 and A/Chicken/Netherlands/14015526/2014, while the N8 was most closely related (1373/1377) to A/eurasian wigeon/Netherlands/emc-1/2014, A/eurasian wigeon/Netherlands/emc-2/2014, A/Chicken/Netherlands/14015526/2014, and A/turkey/Germany-MV/R2472/2014. The closest relationships were with isolates from The Netherlands which was expected because of the geographic proximity.
However, today FLI H5N8 confirmed ducks in Emsland, which is even closer to The Netherlands, as well as a dead mallard in Aken which is in Anhalt-Bitterfeld and 200 miles southwest of Emsland, signaling an increase in geographic spread and an acceleration of detection rates.
Germany had reported the first case of H5N8 in Europe, on November 4 in Heinrichswalde in northeast Germany which was followed by confirmation of H5N8 in a wild teal. The three recent confirmations identify continuing spread through wild birds as well as poultry infections in spite of enhanced biosecurity.
Similarly, H5N8 was confirmed on multiple farms and wild birds in the Netherlands and sequences have also been deposited at GISAID. More recently, H5N8 was confirmed in Italy and sequences were released, A/turkey/Italy/14VIR7898-10/2014.
All sequences are closely related to each other and November sequences from Japan (A/duck/Chiba/26-372-48/2014 and A/duck/Chiba/26-372-61/2014), signaling a dramatic geographic expansion.
The expansion increased with reports of H5N8 in four dead pet falcons in Lynden, Washington, who had eaten a widgeon caught near Wiser Lake, as well as a backyard holding in Winston, Oregon where there were 100 chickens and guinea fowl. Although sequences have not been released for the US infections, the H5 and N8 were closely related to Genbank sequences from South Korea, confirming the close relationship to the above sequences.
In addition to H5N8, the US and Canada have reported H5N2. The first US sequence was from a northern pintail, which was part of a massive die-off at Wiser Lake. H5N2 and aspergilliosis were identified in dead ducks (about 600), but additional confirmations of H5N2 are expected. These sequences will likely be closely related to sequences in British Columbia, where H5N2 has been confirmed in 11 farms, including a cluster located 7 miles north of Wiser Lake.
H5N8 has 3 gene segments from Fujian clade 2.3.4 H5 (H5, PA, MP) and the H5N2 has 5 gene segments from H5N8, including Fujian H5 as well as 3 wild bird North American segments, including N2.
More H5N2 and H5N8 infections in Canada and the US are expected in the near term.
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