Genetic Variations among Different Variants of G1-like Avian Influenza H9N2 Viruses and Their Pathogenicity in Chickens
Amany Adel,
Marwa A. Abdelmagid,
Ahmed Abd-Elhalem Mohamed,
Anishia Wasberg,
Zienab Mosaad,
Karim Selim,
Asmaa Shaaban,
Mohamed Tarek,
Naglaa M. Hagag,
Åke Lundkvist,
Patrik Ellström,
Mahmoud M. Naguib
Affiliations
Amany Adel
Reference Laboratory for Veterinary Quality Control on Poultry Production, Animal Health Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza 12618, Egypt
Marwa A. Abdelmagid
Reference Laboratory for Veterinary Quality Control on Poultry Production, Animal Health Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza 12618, Egypt
Ahmed Abd-Elhalem Mohamed
Reference Laboratory for Veterinary Quality Control on Poultry Production, Animal Health Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza 12618, Egypt
Anishia Wasberg
Zoonosis Science Center, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, SE-75121 Uppsala, Sweden
Zienab Mosaad
Reference Laboratory for Veterinary Quality Control on Poultry Production, Animal Health Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza 12618, Egypt
Karim Selim
Reference Laboratory for Veterinary Quality Control on Poultry Production, Animal Health Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza 12618, Egypt
Asmaa Shaaban
Reference Laboratory for Veterinary Quality Control on Poultry Production, Animal Health Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza 12618, Egypt
Mohamed Tarek
Reference Laboratory for Veterinary Quality Control on Poultry Production, Animal Health Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza 12618, Egypt
Naglaa M. Hagag
Reference Laboratory for Veterinary Quality Control on Poultry Production, Animal Health Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza 12618, Egypt
Åke Lundkvist
Zoonosis Science Center, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, SE-75121 Uppsala, Sweden
Patrik Ellström
Zoonosis Science Center, Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, SE-75185 Uppsala, Sweden
Mahmoud M. Naguib
Reference Laboratory for Veterinary Quality Control on Poultry Production, Animal Health Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza 12618, Egypt
Since it was first discovered, the low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) H9N2 subtype has established linages infecting the poultry population globally and has become one of the most prevalent influenza subtypes in domestic poultry. Several different variants and genotypes of LPAI H9N2 viruses have been reported in Egypt, but little is known about their pathogenicity and how they have evolved. In this study, four different Egyptian LPAI H9N2 viruses were genetically and antigenically characterized and compared to representative H9N2 viruses from G1 lineage. Furthermore, the pathogenicity of three genetically distinct Egyptian LPAI H9N2 viruses was assessed by experimental infection in chickens. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that the H9N2 virus of the Egy-2 G1-B lineage (pigeon-like) has become the dominant circulating H9N2 genotype in Egypt since 2016. Considerable variation in virus shedding at day 7 post-infections was detected in infected chickens, but no significant difference in pathogenicity was found between the infected groups. The rapid spread and emergence of new genotypes of the influenza viruses pinpoint the importance of continuous surveillance for the detection of novel reassortant viruses, as well as monitoring the viral evolution.