Ecology of H3 avian influenza viruses in Korea and assessment of their pathogenic potentials

[Sally Furniss]

Ecology of H3 avian influenza viruses in Korea and assessment of their pathogenic potentials


<nobr>Min-Suk Song¹</nobr>, <nobr>Taek-Kyu Oh¹</nobr>, <nobr>Ho Jin Moon²</nobr>, <nobr>Dai-Woon Yoo²</nobr>, <nobr>Eun Ho Lee¹</nobr>, <nobr>Jong-Soo Lee²</nobr>, <nobr>Chul-Jung Kim²</nobr>, <nobr>Gi-Jo Yoo³</nobr>, <nobr>Hyunggee Kim⁴</nobr> and <nobr>Young-Ki Choi¹</nobr>
[SIZE=-1] ¹ College of Medicine and Medical Research Institute, Chungbuk National University, 12 Gaeshin-Dong Heungduk-Ku, Cheongju 361-763, Republic of Korea
² College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungnam National University, 220 Gung-Dong, Yuseoung-Gu, DaeJeon 305-764, Republic of Korea
³ Chungbuk Veterinary Service Laboratory, Cheongju 360-171, Republic of Korea
⁴ Division of Bioscience and Technology, College of Life and Environmental Science, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea [/SIZE]

[SIZE=-1]Correspondence
Young-Ki Choi
choiki55@chungbuk.ac.kr<script type="text/javascript"><!-- var u = "choiki55", d = "chungbuk.ac.kr"; document.getElementById("em0").innerHTML = '<a href="mailto:' + u + '@' + d + '">' + u + '@' + d + '<\/a>'//--></script>[/SIZE]
<!-- ABS --> To determine the genetic origins of novel H3 avian influenzaviruses of chickens and ducks in Korea, genetic characterizationof H3 avian influenza viruses isolated from live poultry marketsand migratory aquatic birds in South Korea during 2004?2006was conducted. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that at leastfour novel genotypes of H3N2 and two genotypes of H3N6 avianinfluenza viruses were co-circulating in backyard poultry ofKorea. The viruses were reassortants between H9N2 viruses ofKorean chickens and unknown influenza viruses of migratory birds.Genetic comparison of H3 viruses from live bird markets withthose from wild bird isolates revealed that certain gene segmentsof wild bird isolates are related closely to those of Koreangroup H9N2 viruses isolated from live poultry markets in 2003.Furthermore, animal-challenge studies demonstrated that thepathogenicity of certain avian H3 influenza viruses was altereddue to reassortment, leading to H3 avian influenza viruses inKorea that can potentially expand their host range to includemammals. These studies emphasize the continuing need to monitorbackyard poultry at live poultry markets to better understandinterspecies transmission and the emergence of novel influenzaviruses that have the potential to infect humans.
<!-- null --> The GenBank/EMBL/DDBJ accession numbers for the sequences determinedin this study are EU301177?EU301431.
<!-- null --> A supplementary figure showing phylogenetic analysis of KoreanH3 influenza viruses isolated from wild birds and live poultrymarkets is available with the online version of this paper.

http://vir.sgmjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/89/4/949