Equine Influenza A(H3N8) Virus Isolated from Bactrian Camel, Mongolia

Abstract

Because little is known about the ecology of influenza viruses in camels, 460 nasal swab specimens were collected from healthy (no overt illness) Bactrian camels in Mongolia during 2012. One specimen was positive for influenza A virus (A/camel/Mongolia/335/2012[H3N8]), which is phylogenetically related to equine influenza A(H3N8) viruses and probably represents natural horse-to-camel transmission.

Keywords

• influenza A virus
• Mongolia
• interspecies transmission
• Camelus bactrianus
• Bactrian camel
• viruses