Genetic, biological and epidemiological study on a cluster of H9N2 avian influenza virus infections among chickens, a pet cat, and humans at a backyard farm in Guangxi, China.

During an investigation in October 2018, two people with diarrhoea, mild abdominal pain, and mild arthralgia symptoms in Guangxi, China, were identified as infected by H9N2 avian influenza virus (AIV). Four H9N2 AIVs were isolated from one of two patients, a pet cat, and a dead chicken (two respective isolates from its lung and kidney tissues) bred by the patients at a backyard farm. Epidemiological investigation indicated that the newly bought chicken died first, and clinical syndromes appeared subsequently in the two owners and one cat. Furthermore, the two individuals possessed high H9N2-specific hemagglutination inhibition and microneutralization antibodies. Shared nucleotide sequence identity (99.9% - 100%) for all genes was detected in the four H9N2 isolates, and hemagglutinin (HA) T138A located on the receptor binding domain (RBD), resulted from nucleotide polymorphisms that were exclusively found in the isolate from the female patient. Moreover, HA K137N on the RBD was found in isolates from these three host species. Importantly, these four H9N2 isolates presented an exclusive binding preference for the human-type receptor (α2-6-SA), and could replicate and cause pathological changes in mice. Phylogenetic analyses showed that these four isolates clustered together and belonged to clade C1.2, lineage Y280. In addition, H9N2 viruses of human origin are genetically divergent and interspersed with the widespread poultry-origin H9N2 AIVs. All these results indicate a high risk of H9N2 AIVs in public health, and effective prevention and control measures against H9N2 AIVs should be considered and performed for both animal and human health.

Dominant subtype switch in avian influenza viruses during 2016-2019 in China.

We have surveyed avian influenza virus (AIV) genomes from live poultry markets within China since 2014. Here we present a total of 16,091 samples that were collected from May 2016 to February 2019 in 23 provinces and municipalities in China. We identify 2048 AIV-positive samples and perform next generation sequencing. AIV-positive rates (12.73%) from samples had decreased substantially since 2016, compared to that during 2014-2016 (26.90%). Additionally, H9N2 has replaced H5N6 and H7N9 as the dominant AIV subtype in both chickens and ducks. Notably, novel reassortants and variants continually emerged and disseminated in avian populations, including H7N3, H9N9, H9N6 and H5N6 variants. Importantly, almost all of the H9 AIVs and many H7N9 and H6N2 strains prefer human-type receptors, posing an increased risk for human infections. In summary, our nation-wide surveillance highlights substantial changes in the circulation of AIVs since 2016, which greatly impacts the prevention and control of AIVs in China and worldwide.

A newly developed real-time PCR assay for discriminating influenza B virus Yamagata and Victoria lineages.

Currently, two distinct lineages of influenza B virus (IBV), B/Victoria and B/Yamagata lineage, have been co-circulating in human beings. Assessment of the prevalent lineage is key for the recommendation of the seasonal influenza vaccine composition and the evaluation of its efficacy. In this study, a multiplex qRT-PCR assay for the discrimination of the IBV lineages was designed based on the genetic differences of the hemagglutinin genes between B/Yamagata and B/Victoria lineages. The assay was highly specific and able to discriminate the lineages of IBV without any non-specific reaction against other influenza A viruses. The detection limit of the assay was determined to be 10 genome-equivalent copies and 2.8 × 10-2 50% tissue culture infectious doses (TCID50 ) of live IBV per reaction. Moreover, our assay was able to discriminate the lineages of IBVs in clinical samples with 100% accuracy, when compared with pyrosequencing. Our results indicate that this assay may represent an update of the existing qRT-PCR assays and will be of great use for the rapid and accurate diagnosis and surveillance of the circulating IBVs.

Correction to: Intra-host diversity of hepatitis B virus during mother-to-child transmission: the X gene may play a key role in virus survival in children after transmission.

Authors would like to correct few errors in their publication.

Intra-host diversity of hepatitis B virus during mother-to-child transmission: the X gene may play a key role in virus survival in children after transmission.

Mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the main route of transmission in Asia, and characterization of HBV quasispecies is needed to further understand virus evolution and adaptation. To understand changes in HBV during mother-to-child transmission, we enrolled nine pairs of mothers and children in the study, including a set of twins. Three groups were infected with HBV genotype C, and six groups were infected with HBV genotype B. The full-length HBV genome was amplified by PCR from serum samples before antiviral treatment, the whole viral genomes from each pair were sequenced, and the complexity and diversity of the quasispecies were analyzed. The entropy of transmitted HBV in children was found to be lower than their mothers, suggesting that there was a bottleneck effect during HBV transmission from the mother to the child. Selective evolution was shown by calculating πN and πS in the whole genomes, and the highest values were obtained for the X gene, which plays a role in viral replication and immune escape. All genotype C patients and only one genotype B pair had a πN/πS greater than 1 ratio, indicating that positive selection had occurred. In addition, quasispecies were found to be different between the twin children despite having the same mother, indicating that virus evolution is host-specific.

Development of a quadruple qRT-PCR assay for simultaneous identification of highly and low pathogenic H7N9 avian influenza viruses and characterization against oseltamivir resistance.

BACKGROUND: During the fifth wave of human H7N9 infections, a novel highly pathogenic (HP) H7N9 variant emerged with an insertion of multiple basic amino acids in the HA cleavage site. Moreover, a neuraminidase inhibitor (NAI) resistance (R292K in NA) mutation was found in H7N9 isolates from humans, poultry and the environment. In this study, we set out to develop and validate a multiplex quantitative reverse transcript polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to simultaneously detect the presence of H7N9 and further identify the HP and NAI-resistance mutations. METHODS: A quadruple qRT-PCR to simultaneously detect the presence of H7N9 and further identify the HP and NAI-resistance mutations was designed based on the analyses of the HA and NA genes of H7N9. This assay was further tested for specificity and sensitivity, and validated using clinical samples. RESULTS: The assay was highly specific and able to detect low pathogenic (LP)- or HP-H7N9 with/without the NAI-resistance mutation. The detection limit of the assay was determined to be 50 genome-equivalent copies and 2.8 × 10- 3 50% tissue culture infectious doses (TCID50) of live H7N9 per reaction. Clinical validation was confirmed by commercial kits and Sanger sequencing with ten clinical samples. CONCLUSIONS: We developed and validated a rapid, single-reaction, one-step, quadruple real-time qRT-PCR to simultaneously detect the presence of H7N9 and further identify the HP- and NAI-resistance strains with excellent performance in specificity and sensitivity. This assay could be used to monitor the evolution of H7N9 viruses in the laboratory, field and the clinic for early-warning and the prevention of H7N9 infections.

Development of a reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction-based assay for broad coverage detection of African and Asian Zika virus lineages.

The Zika virus (ZIKV) is an arbovirus that has spread rapidly worldwide within recent times. There is accumulating evidence that associates ZIKV infections with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) and microcephaly in humans. The ZIKV is genetically diverse and can be separated into Asian and African lineages. A rapid, sensitive, and specific assay is needed for the detection of ZIKV across various pandemic regions. So far, the available primers and probes do not cover the genetic diversity and geographic distribution of all ZIKV strains. To this end, we have developed a one-step quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay based on conserved sequences in the ZIKV envelope (E) gene. The detection limit of the assay was determined to be five RNA transcript copies and 2.94 × 10-3 50% tissue culture infectious doses (TCID50) of live ZIKV per reaction. The assay was highly specific and able to detect five different ZIKV strains covering the Asian and African lineages without nonspecific amplification, when tested against other flaviviruses. The assay was also successful in testing for ZIKV in clinical samples. Our assay represents an improvement over the current methods available for the detection ZIKV and would be valuable as a diagnostic tool in various pandemic regions.