Evidence for genetic variation of Eurasian avian influenza viruses of subtype H15: the first report of an H15N7 virus.

ABSTRACT

Since the first detection of H15 avian influenza viruses (AIVs) in Australia in 1979, only seven H15 strains have been reported. A new H15 AIV was detected in Ukraine in 2010, carrying the unique HA-NA subtype combination H15N7. This virus replicated efficiently in chicken eggs, and antisera against it reacted strongly with the homologous antigen, but with lower titers when using the reference Australian antigen. The amino acid motifs of the HA cleavage site and receptor-binding site were different from those in the Australian viruses. The new virus, together with an H15 virus from Siberia from 2008, constitutes a new clade of H15 AIV isolates.