Spatiotemporal analysis of the genetic diversity of seal influenza A(H10N7) virus, northwestern Europe

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelForskningfagfællebedømt

  • Rogier Bodewes
  • Siamak Zohari
  • Jesper S. Krog
  • Matthew D. Hall
  • Timm C. Harder
  • Theo M. Bestebroer
  • Marco W.G. Van De Bildt
  • Monique I. Spronken
  • Ursula Siebert
  • Peter Wohlsein
  • Christina Puff
  • Frauke Seehusen
  • Wolfgang Baumgärtner
  • Tero Härkönen
  • Saskia L. Smits
  • Sander Herfst
  • Albert D.M.E. Osterhaus
  • Ron A.M. Fouchier
  • Marion P. Koopmans
  • Thijs Kuiken

Influenza A viruses are major pathogens for humans, domestic animals, and wildlife, and these viruses occasionally cross the species barrier. In spring 2014, increased mortality of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina), associated with infection with an influenza A(H10N7) virus, was reported in Sweden and Denmark. Within a few months, this virus spread to seals of the coastal waters of Germany and the Netherlands, causing the death of thousands of animals. Genetic analysis of the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes of this seal influenza A(H10N7) virus revealed that it was most closely related to various avian influenza A(H10N7) viruses. The collection of samples from infected seals during the course of the outbreak provided a unique opportunity to follow the adaptation of the avian virus to its new seal host. Sequence data for samples collected from 41 different seals from four different countries between April 2014 and January 2015 were obtained by Sanger sequencing and next-generation sequencing to describe the molecular epidemiology of the seal influenza A(H10N7) virus. The majority of sequence variation occurred in the HA gene, and some mutations corresponded to amino acid changes not found in H10 viruses isolated from Eurasian birds. Also, sequence variation in the HA gene was greater at the beginning than at the end of the epidemic, when a number of the mutations observed earlier had been fixed. These results imply that when an avian influenza virus jumps the species barrier from birds to seals, amino acid changes in HA may occur rapidly and are important for virus adaptation to its new mammalian host.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
TidsskriftJournal of Virology
Vol/bind90
Udgave nummer9
Sider (fra-til)4269-4277
Antal sider9
ISSN0022-538X
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 1 maj 2016
Eksternt udgivetJa

ID: 247395322