scholarly journals Eco-Epidemiological Evidence of the Transmission of Avian and Human Influenza A Viruses in Wild Pigs in Campeche, Mexico

Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 528
Author(s):  
Brenda Aline Maya-Badillo ◽  
Rafael Ojeda-Flores ◽  
Andrea Chaves ◽  
Saul Reveles-Félix ◽  
Guillermo Orta-Pineda ◽  
...  

Influenza, a zoonosis caused by various influenza A virus subtypes, affects a wide range of species, including humans. Pig cells express both sialyl-α-2,3-Gal and sialyl-α-2,6-Gal receptors, which make them susceptible to infection by avian and human viruses, respectively. To date, it is not known whether wild pigs in Mexico are affected by influenza virus subtypes, nor whether this would make them a potential risk of influenza transmission to humans. In this work, 61 hogs from two municipalities in Campeche, Mexico, were sampled. Hemagglutination inhibition assays were performed in 61 serum samples, and positive results were found for human H1N1 (11.47%), swine H1N1 (8.19%), and avian H5N2 (1.63%) virus variants. qRT-PCR assays were performed on the nasal swab, tracheal, and lung samples, and 19.67% of all hogs were positive to these assays. An avian H5N2 virus, first reported in 1994, was identified by sequencing. Our results demonstrate that wild pigs are participating in the exposure, transmission, maintenance, and possible diversification of influenza viruses in fragmented habitats, highlighting the synanthropic behavior of this species, which has been poorly studied in Mexico.

2001 ◽  
Vol 356 (1416) ◽  
pp. 1817-1828 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Webby ◽  
R. G. Webster

Pandemic influenza in humans is a zoonotic disease caused by the transfer of influenza A viruses or virus gene segments from animal reservoirs. Influenza A viruses have been isolated from avian and mammalian hosts, although the primary reservoirs are the aquatic bird populations of the world. In the aquatic birds, influenza is asymptomatic, and the viruses are in evolutionary stasis. The aquatic bird viruses do not replicate well in humans, and these viruses need to reassort or adapt in an intermediate host before they emerge in human populations. Pigs can serve as a host for avian and human viruses and are logical candidates for the role of intermediate host. The transmission of avian H5N1 and H9N2 viruses directly to humans during the late 1990s showed that land-based poultry also can serve between aquatic birds and humans as intermediate hosts of influenza viruses. That these transmission events took place in Hong Kong and China adds further support to the hypothesis that Asia is an epicentre for influenza and stresses the importance of surveillance of pigs and live-bird markets in this area.


The only direct evidence for transmission of influenza viruses between species comes from studies on swine influenza viruses. Antigenically and genetically identical Hsw1N1 influenza viruses were isolated from pigs and man on the same farm in Wisconsin, U.S.A. The isolation of H3N2 influenza viruses from a wide range of lower animals and birds suggests that influenza viruses of man can spread to the lower orders. Under some conditions the H3N2 viruses can persist for a number of years in some species. The isolation, from aquatic birds, of a large number of influenza A viruses that possess surface proteins antigenically similar to the viruses isolated from man, pigs and horses provides indirect evidence for inter-species transmission. There is now a considerable body of evidence which suggests that influenza viruses of lower animals and birds may play a role in the origin of some of the pandemic strains of influenza A viruses. There is no direct evidence that the influenza viruses in aquatic birds are transmitted to man, but they may serve as a genetic pool from which some genes may be introduced into humans by recombination. Preliminary evidence suggests that the molecular basis of host range and virulence may be related to the RNA segments coding for one of the polymerase proteins (P3) and for the nucleoprotein (NP).


Viruses ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1028 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin M. Coombs ◽  
Philippe F. Simon ◽  
Nigel J. McLeish ◽  
Ali Zahedi-Amiri ◽  
Darwyn Kobasa

Influenza A viruses (IAVs) are important animal and human emerging and re-emerging pathogens that are responsible for yearly seasonal epidemics and sporadic pandemics. IAVs cause a wide range of clinical illnesses, from relatively mild infections by seasonal strains, to acute respiratory distress during infections with highly pathogenic avian IAVs (HPAI). For this study, we infected A549 human lung cells with lab prototype A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) (PR8), a seasonal H1N1 (RV733), the 2009 pandemic H1N1 (pdm09), or with two avian strains, an H5N1 HPAI strain or an H7N9 strain that has low pathogenicity in birds but high pathogenicity in humans. We used a newly-developed aptamer-based multiplexed technique (SOMAscan®) to examine >1300 human lung cell proteins affected by the different IAV strains, and identified more than 500 significantly dysregulated cellular proteins. Our analyses indicated that the avian strains induced more profound changes in the A549 global proteome compared to all tested low-pathogenicity H1N1 strains. The PR8 strain induced a general activation, primarily by upregulating many immune molecules, the seasonal RV733 and pdm09 strains had minimal effect upon assayed molecules, and the avian strains induced significant downregulation, primarily in antimicrobial response, cardiovascular and post-translational modification systems.


2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (24) ◽  
pp. 11825-11831 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuo Suzuki ◽  
Toshihiro Ito ◽  
Takashi Suzuki ◽  
Robert E. Holland ◽  
Thomas M. Chambers ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The distribution of sialic acid (SA) species varies among animal species, but the biological role of this variation is largely unknown. Influenza viruses differ in their ability to recognize SA-galactose (Gal) linkages, depending on the animal hosts from which they are isolated. For example, human viruses preferentially recognize SA linked to Gal by the α2,6(SAα2,6Gal) linkage, while equine viruses favor SAα2,3Gal. However, whether a difference in relative abundance of specific SA species (N-acetylneuraminic acid [NeuAc] andN-glycolylneuraminic acid [NeuGc]) among different animals affects the replicative potential of influenza viruses is uncertain. We therefore examined the requirement for the hemagglutinin (HA) for support of viral replication in horses, using viruses whose HAs differ in receptor specificity. A virus with an HA recognizing NeuAcα2,6Gal but not NeuAcα2,3Gal or NeuGcα2,3Gal failed to replicate in horses, while one with an HA recognizing the NeuGcα2,3Gal moiety replicated in horses. Furthermore, biochemical and immunohistochemical analyses and a lectin-binding assay demonstrated the abundance of the NeuGcα2,3Gal moiety in epithelial cells of horse trachea, indicating that recognition of this moiety is critical for viral replication in horses. Thus, these results provide evidence of a biological effect of different SA species in different animals.


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1320
Author(s):  
Jin Zhao ◽  
Wanting He ◽  
Meng Lu ◽  
Haijian He ◽  
Alexander Lai

Cats are susceptible to a wide range of influenza A viruses (IAV). Furthermore, cats can serve as an intermediate host, and transfer avian influenza virus (AIV) H7N2 to a veterinarian. In this report, a novel reassortant influenza virus, designated A/feline/Jiangsu/HWT/2017 (H3N2), and abbreviated as FIV-HWT-2017, was isolated from nasal swab of a symptomatic cat in Jiangsu province, China. Sequence analysis indicated that, whilst the other seven genes were most similar to the avian-origin canine influenza viruses (CIV H3N2) isolated in China, the NS gene was more closely related to the circulating human influenza virus (H3N2) in the region. Therefore, FIV-HWT-2017 is a reassortant virus. In addition, some mutations were identified, and they were similar to a distinctive CIV H3N2 clade. Whether these cats were infected with the reassortant virus was unknown, however, this random isolation of a reassortant virus indicated that domestic or stray cats were “mixing vessel” for IAV cannot be ruled out. An enhanced surveillance for novel influenza virus should include pet and stray cats.


Author(s):  
Christine H T Bui ◽  
H W Yeung ◽  
John C W Ho ◽  
Connie Y H Leung ◽  
Kenrie P Y Hui ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Human spillovers of SARS-CoV-2 to dogs and the emergence of a highly contagious avian-origin H3N2 canine influenza virus have raised concerns towards the role of dogs in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and their susceptibility to existing human and avian influenza viruses which might result in further reassortment. Methods We systematically studied the replication kinetics of SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, influenza A viruses of H1, H3, H5, H7 and H9 subtypes and influenza B viruses of Yamagata-like and Victoria-like lineages in ex-vivo canine nasal cavity (NC), soft palate (SP), trachea (T) and lung (L) tissue explant cultures and examined ACE2 and sialic acid (SA) receptor distribution in these tissues. Results There was limited productive replication of SARS-CoV-2 in canine NC and SARS-CoV in canine NC, SP and L with unexpectedly high ACE2 levels in canine NC and SP. Meanwhile, the canine tissues were susceptible to a wide range of human and avian influenza viruses, which matched with the abundance of both human and avian SA receptors. Conclusions Existence of suitable receptors and tropism for the same tissue foster virus adaptation and reassortment. Continuous surveillance in dog populations should be conducted given the plenty of chances for spillover during outbreaks.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eirini S. Soilemetzidou ◽  
Erwin de Bruin ◽  
Gábor Á. Czirják ◽  
Bayarbaatar Buuveibaatar ◽  
Petra Kaczensky ◽  
...  

AbstractThe majority of influenza A virus strains are hosted in nature by several Anseriformes and Charadriformes birds. A minority of strains have been able to cross species boundaries and establish themselves in novel non-avian hosts. Influenza viruses of horses, donkeys, and mules represent successful cases of avian to mammal influenza virus adaptation. Mongolia has over 3 million domestic horses and is home to two wild equids, the Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus hemionus), and Przewalski horse (Equus ferus przewalskii). Domestic and wild equids are sympatric across most of their range in Mongolia. Epizootic influenza A virus outbreaks among Mongolian domestic horses have been frequently recorded. However, the exposure, circulation and relation to domestic horse influenza A virus outbreaks among wild equids is unknown. We evaluated serum samples of Asiatic wild asses in Mongolia for antibodies against influenza A viruses, using a serological assay. We detected antibodies against hemagglutinin (H) H1, H3, H5, H7, H8 and H10 influenza A viruses. Asiatic wild asses may represent a previously unidentified influenza A virus reservoir in an ecosystem shared with populations of domestic horses in which influenza strains circulate.


2014 ◽  
Vol 95 (6) ◽  
pp. 1193-1210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna V. Cauldwell ◽  
Jason S. Long ◽  
Olivier Moncorgé ◽  
Wendy S. Barclay

Typical avian influenza A viruses are restricted from replicating efficiently and causing disease in humans. However, an avian virus can become adapted to humans by mutating or recombining with currently circulating human viruses. These viruses have the potential to cause pandemics in an immunologically naïve human population. It is critical that we understand the molecular basis of host-range restriction and how this can be overcome. Here, we review our current understanding of the mechanisms by which influenza viruses adapt to replicate efficiently in a new host. We predominantly focus on the influenza polymerase, which remains one of the least understood host-range barriers.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Claude Nshogozabahizi ◽  
Jonathan Dench ◽  
Stéphane Aris-Brosou

AbstractIn systems biology and genomics, epistasis characterizes the impact that a substitution at a particular location in a genome can have on a substitution at another location. This phenomenon is often implicated in the evolution of drug resistance or to explain why particular ‘disease-causing’ mutations do not have the same outcome in all individuals. Hence, uncovering these mutations and their locations in a genome is a central question in biology. However, epistasis is notoriously difficult to uncover, especially in fast-evolving organisms. Here, we present a novel statistical approach that replies on a model developed in ecology and that we adapt to analyze genetic data in fast-evolving systems such as the influenza A virus. We validate the approach using a two-pronged strategy: extensive simulations demonstrate a low-to-moderate sensitivity with excellent specificity and precision, while analyses of experimentally-validated data recover known interactions, including in a eukaryotic system. We further evaluate the ability of our approach to detect correlated evolution during antigenic shifts or at the emergence of drug resistance. We show that in all cases, correlated evolution is prevalent in influenza A viruses, involving many pairs of sites linked together in chains, a hallmark of historical contingency. Strikingly, interacting sites are separated by large physical distances, which entails either long-range conformational changes or functional tradeoffs, for which we find support with the emergence of drug resistance. Our work paves a new way for the unbiased detection of epistasis in a wide range of organisms by performing whole-genome scans.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1639
Author(s):  
Andrew T. Bisset ◽  
Gerard F. Hoyne

In 2020, several geographically isolated farms in Victoria, Australia, experienced an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus H7N7 and low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) viruses H5N2 and H7N6. Effective containment and control measures ensured the eradication of these viruses but the event culminated in substantial loss of livestock and significant economic impact. The avian HPAI H7N7 virus generally does not infect humans; however, evidence shows the ocular pathway presents a favourable tissue tropism for human infection. Through antigenic drift, mutations in the H7N7 viral genome may increase virulence and pathogenicity in humans. The Victorian outbreak also detected LPAI H7N6 in emus at a commercial farm. Novel influenza A viruses can emerge by mixing different viral strains in a host susceptible to avian and human influenza strains. Studies show that emus are susceptible to infections from a wide range of influenza viral subtypes, including H5N1 and the pandemic H1N1. The emu’s internal organs and tissues express abundant cell surface sialic acid receptors that favour the attachment of avian and human influenza viruses, increasing the potential for internal genetic reassortment and the emergence of novel influenza A viruses. This review summarises the historical context of H7N7 in Australia, considers the potential for increased virulence and pathogenesis through mutations and draws attention to the emu as potentially an unrecognised viral mixing vessel.


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