New outbreaks of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza in domestic poultry and wild birds in Cambodia in 2011.

Five outbreaks of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have been diagnosed in domestic poultry and wild birds in Cambodia from January to November of 2011. Of the five outbreaks, one occurred in a village backyard flock in Kandal province in January; two occurred in native Cambodian chickens and ducks in Banteay Meanchey province in July and August, respectively; one was seen in wild birds in Phnom Tamao Zoo in Kandal Province in July; and one outbreak occurred in commercial broilers at Opong Moan in Battambang province in northwestern Cambodia in early November. Clinically, HPAI-infected broilers and native chickens showed sudden death, severe depression, ruffled feathers, edema of heads and necks, swollen and cyanotic combs and wattles, and swollen and congested conjunctiva, with occasional hemorrhage, paralysis, and other neurologic signs. In ducks, significantly swollen sinuses and eyes, cloudy corneas, difficulty standing, or paralysis were commonly seen. Some affected ducks showed sudden death without obvious clinical symptoms. Necropsy lesions showed congestion and necrotic debris within sinuses and severe hemorrhages in gizzards, livers, and lungs in both affected native chickens and ducks during the new outbreaks in 2011. All five outbreaks were diagnosed as H5N1 HPAI by virus isolation and real-time reverse transcription-PCR tests. Once a backyard flock in a village or a poultry farm was diagnosed as positive for H5N1 HPAI; the whole village backyard poultry and all farm flocks were culled immediately by Cambodian provincial and central authorities as per the strategies adopted for the control of HPAI.

Phylogeographic analysis of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus isolated in Cambodia from 2018 to 2019.

Since 2004, several outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have been reported in Cambodia. Until 2013, all H5N1 viruses identified in Cambodia belonged to clade 1 and its subclades. H5N1 HPAI viruses belonging to clade 2.3.2.1c have been dominant since the beginning of 2014, with various genotypes (KH1-KH5) reported. Here, we isolated nine H5N1 HPAI viruses from domestic poultry farms and slaughterhouses in Cambodia during 2018-2019 and performed phylogenetic analysis of whole genome sequences. All isolates were classified as H5 clade 2.3.2.1c viruses and all harbored multi-basic amino acid sequences (PQRERRRKR/GLF) at the haemagglutinin (HA) cleavage site. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the H5N1 isolates in this study belonged to the KH2 genotype, the dominant genotype in Cambodia in 2015. Phylogenetic analysis of the HA gene showed that the isolates were divided into two groups (A and B). The results of Bayesian discrete phylogeography analysis revealed that the viral migration pathways from Vietnam to Cambodia (Bayes factor value: 734,039.01; posterior probability: 1.00) and from Cambodia to Vietnam (Bayes factor value: 26,199.95; posterior probability: 1.00) were supported by high statistical values. These well-supported viral migrations between Vietnam and Cambodia demonstrate that viral transmission continued in both directions. Several factors may have contributed to this, including the free-grazing duck system and movement of poultry-related products. Thus, the results emphasize the need for an enhanced international surveillance program to better understand transboundary infection and evolution of H5N1 HPAI viruses, along with implementation of more stringent international trade controls on poultry and poultry products.