Emerging Infectious Diseases (Dec 2020)

Outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N6) Virus Subclade 2.3.4.4h in Swans, Xinjiang, Western China, 2020

  • Yanbing Li,
  • Minghui Li,
  • Yulei Li,
  • Jingman Tian,
  • Xiaoli Bai,
  • Cen Yang,
  • Jianzhong Shi,
  • Ridengcaicike Ai,
  • Weidong Chen,
  • Wentao Zhang,
  • Jie Li,
  • Yufei Kong,
  • Yuntao Guan,
  • Hualan Chen

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2612.201201
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 26, no. 12
pp. 2956 – 2960

Abstract

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In January 2020, the subclade 2.3.4.4h of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N6) virus infected migratory whooper swans and mute swans in Xinjiang, western China. The virus is lethal to chickens and ducks but has low pathogenicity in mice. Antigenically, this subclade is similar to the H5N1 vaccine seed virus Re-11.

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