Novel Variants of Clade 2.3.4 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Viruses, China

[tetano]

Emerg Infect Dis. 2013 Dec;19(12):2021-4. doi: 10.3201/eid1912.130340.
Novel Variants of Clade 2.3.4 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Viruses, China.
Gu M, Zhao G, Zhao K, Zhong L, Huang J, Wan H, Wang X, Liu W, Liu H, Peng D, Liu X.
Abstract

We characterized 7 highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses isolated from poultry in China during 2009-2012 and found that they belong to clade 2.3.4 but do not fit within the 3 defined subclades. Antigenic drift in subtype H5N1 variants may reduce the efficacy of vaccines designed to control these viruses in poultry.
KEYWORDS:

AIV, China, H5, H5N1, HPAI, avian, avian influenza virus, birds, chickens, clade, clade 2.3.4, flu, highly pathogenic, influenza, influenza virus, phylogeny, viruses

PMID:
24274396
[PubMed - in process]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24274396

 

[Biological]

Re: Novel Variants of Clade 2.3.4 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Viruses, China

Clip:
The location of the 7 HPAI A(H5N1) virus variants in the HA gene tree (Figure) suggests that novel monophyletic subclades other than the previously identified 2.3.4.1, 2.3.4.2, and 2.3.4.3 subclades continue to emerge within clade 2.3.4.

As a result of our findings, we suggest that these groups should be assigned new fourth-order clades of 2.3.4.4, 2.3.4.5, and 2.3.4.6 to reflect the wide divergence of clade 2.3.4 viruses.

I wonder if this will be updated by WHO!