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Title: Pathogenicity of reassortant H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses in domestic ducks

Author
item Pantin Jackwood, Mary
item Wasilenko, Jamie
item Cagle, Caran
item JADHAO, SAMADHAN - Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS, USDA)

Submitted to: American Association of Avian Pathologists
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/15/2011
Publication Date: 7/15/2011
Citation: Pantin Jackwood, M.J., Wasilenko, J.L., Cagle, C.A., Jadhao, S. 2011. Pathogenicity of reassortant H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses in domestic ducks [abstract]. American Association of Avian Pathologists Annual Meeting, St. Louis, Missouri, July 16-19, 2011. CD-ROM.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The pathogenicity of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses in domestic ducks has increased over time. These changes in virulence have been reported with viruses from countries with high population of domestic ducks, including Egypt. In order to understand which viral genes are contributing to the increase in virulence of H5N1 HPAI viruses in ducks, we used reverse genetics to generate single-gene reassortant viruses with genes from two Egyptian H5N1 HPAI viruses of different pathogenicity, A/ck/Egypt/9402-CLEVB213/2007 and A/ck/Egypt/08124S-NLQP/2008. Intranasal inoculation of two-week-old domestic Pekin ducks with reassortants combining genes of the mentioned viruses demonstrated that exchanging the hemagglutinin gene considerably affected pathogenicity, which was reflected in increased mortality and increased viral replication and spread in tissues. Other genes, including the polymerases, also affected virus pathogenicity.