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. 2025 Oct 21;17(10):1402.
doi: 10.3390/v17101402. Cross-Species Transmission Risks of a Quail-Origin H7N9 Influenza Virus from China Between Avian and Mammalian Hosts
Cheng Zhang 1 2 , Yifei Jin 3 , Huan Cui 1 2 , Zhongyi Wang 3 , Zhaoliang Chen 1 2 , Lei Zhang 1 2 , Sihui Song 1 , Bing Lu 3 , Zhendong Guo 1
Affiliations
The H7N9 influenza viruses, which are capable of causing severe respiratory syndrome in humans, were first discovered to infect humans in 2013 and continue to pose a persistent public health threat. Quail has been proposed as a potential intermediate host that may facilitate the emergence of novel reassorted influenza A viruses with the capacity to infect humans across species barriers; however, information on the biological characterization of quail H7N9 remains limited. In this study, we isolated and identified an avian H7N9 influenza virus from quails, designated as A/quail/Hebei/CH06-07/2018 (H7N9) and abbreviated as CH06-07, in Hebei, China. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that both the HA gene and the NA gene of CH06-07 were clustered in the Eurasian lineage. Furthermore, CH06-07 exhibited binding affinity for both α2,3-linked and α2,6-linked sialic acid receptors and demonstrated high pathogenicity in both quails and mice. Notably, transmission studies revealed that CH06-07 not only exhibited efficient inter-quail transmission and inter-guinea pig transmission but also demonstrated effective cross-species transmission. Importantly, infected quails and guinea pigs generated significant quantities of viral aerosols (≥18,998 ± 1672 copies per liter of air at 3 days post-infection), and infectious viruses were successfully recovered from environmental aerosols. These findings highlight the necessity for continuous surveillance of the prevalence of quail-origin H7N9 influenza A viruses in poultry populations due to their potential threat to human health.
Keywords: H7N9 avian influenza virus; cross-species transmission; pathogenicity; quail; viral aerosols.
. 2025 Oct 21;17(10):1402.
doi: 10.3390/v17101402. Cross-Species Transmission Risks of a Quail-Origin H7N9 Influenza Virus from China Between Avian and Mammalian Hosts
Cheng Zhang 1 2 , Yifei Jin 3 , Huan Cui 1 2 , Zhongyi Wang 3 , Zhaoliang Chen 1 2 , Lei Zhang 1 2 , Sihui Song 1 , Bing Lu 3 , Zhendong Guo 1
Affiliations
- PMID: 41157671
- PMCID: PMC12567846
- DOI: 10.3390/v17101402
The H7N9 influenza viruses, which are capable of causing severe respiratory syndrome in humans, were first discovered to infect humans in 2013 and continue to pose a persistent public health threat. Quail has been proposed as a potential intermediate host that may facilitate the emergence of novel reassorted influenza A viruses with the capacity to infect humans across species barriers; however, information on the biological characterization of quail H7N9 remains limited. In this study, we isolated and identified an avian H7N9 influenza virus from quails, designated as A/quail/Hebei/CH06-07/2018 (H7N9) and abbreviated as CH06-07, in Hebei, China. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that both the HA gene and the NA gene of CH06-07 were clustered in the Eurasian lineage. Furthermore, CH06-07 exhibited binding affinity for both α2,3-linked and α2,6-linked sialic acid receptors and demonstrated high pathogenicity in both quails and mice. Notably, transmission studies revealed that CH06-07 not only exhibited efficient inter-quail transmission and inter-guinea pig transmission but also demonstrated effective cross-species transmission. Importantly, infected quails and guinea pigs generated significant quantities of viral aerosols (≥18,998 ± 1672 copies per liter of air at 3 days post-infection), and infectious viruses were successfully recovered from environmental aerosols. These findings highlight the necessity for continuous surveillance of the prevalence of quail-origin H7N9 influenza A viruses in poultry populations due to their potential threat to human health.
Keywords: H7N9 avian influenza virus; cross-species transmission; pathogenicity; quail; viral aerosols.