H7 in Lebanon

[Mingus]

Published Date 02-APR-2006
Subject PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza, H7, poultry - Lebanon: RFI



AVIAN INFLUENZA, H7, POULTRY - LEBANON: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
************************************************** *************
A ProMED-mail post
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
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Date: Sun, 2 Apr 2006
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: Poultrymed.com, accessed 1 Apr 2006 [edited]
<http://poultrymed.com/files/index.html>


The above website included, in its page "Infectious diseases", the
following news-item from an unspecified source:

Lebanon: avian influenza detected in south Lebanon
--------------------------------------------------
30/03/06 -- The laboratory of the American University of Beirut has
detected the virus H7 on several samples of domestic poultry from the South
of Lebanon.
The Ministry of Agriculture has agreed for sending samples from the
affected poultry to the Weybridge Laboratory in UK or IZS-Venezie
laboratory in Italy for further testing.

--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[If confirmed, this becomes a significant finding and a cause for concern.
All HPAI strains isolated to date have been either of the H5 or H7 subtype,
therefore classified by the OIE as notifiable avian influenza (NAI). The
major outbreak in the Netherlands, 2003, was caused by H7N7. Since H5 and
H7 strains might be also of low virulence, it is essential that, as well as
their identification, their pathogenicity is determined as early as possible.

Confirmation of the above data or otherwise is anticipated; any available
information on the issue would be greatly appreciated.- Mod.AS]

[see also:
2005
---
Avian influenza, H7 - North Korea (07) 20050707.1927
2004
---
Avian influenza, H7, poultry - Canada (BC) (04): RFI 20040310.0672
Avian influenza H7N7, human - Netherlands 2003 20040221.0561]

................arn/sh

[Mingus]

Re: H7 in Lebanon

A Quote from Dr. Niman in relation with H7 that can be a donor for the acquisition of E190D polymorphism. This polymorhism haved not demonstrated to give a higher affinity with a2.6 glycans in the recent miccroarray study but was know to give rise to the 1918 pandemic.
Anyway, noboby know wath this polymorphism associated with one another can do.
Also, reassortant between H7 and H5 is also possible (H7 with internal gene of H5N1 ?) and H7 haved also demonstrated ability to pass trought species.

Another concern is recombination between H7 in Europe and H5N1 leading to acquisition of E190D. Although donor sequences have not been reported in recent H7 isolates from Europe, the number of H7 sequences on deposit at Genbank or Los Alamos is small, so current versions of H7 may not be well represented.

More sequences of H7 from the region would be useful.

Did H7 sequence from Middle East is known ?

[Mingus]

Re: H7 in Lebanon

Ok after a look in the Los Alamos Database,

the only H7 from ME are
AF202233 A/chicken/Pakistan/16/99/95 HA (4) 1086 1995 H7N3
AF202226 A/chicken/Pakistan/447/95 HA (4) 1741 1995 H7N3
AF202230 A/chicken/Pakistan/CR2/95 HA (4) 1741 1995 H7N3

and they are mildly old.

but there are many from Italy witch is close to Lebanon...
They are of H7N3 (low pathogenic) and H7N1 (low pathogenic and highly pathogenic kind exist ---"Reference
Author Di Trani,L., Bedini,B. and Campitelli,L.
Title Molecular characterization of low pathogenic and highly pathogenic H7N1 avian influenza viruses isolated in Italy in 1999-2000
")

And Germany is not too far away too...

And Wheybridge is not know to release data very fast...