Pathogenicity of an avian influenza virus serotype H9N2 in chickens

A low pathogenic avian influenza virus (AIV) serotype H9N2 affected many commercial flocks in the Middle East in late 1990s and early 2000s. Due to the varying pathogenicity ofAIV H9N2 reported in previous studies, this study was carried out to determine the pathogenicity of a Jordanian isolate of H9N2 in broiler and specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chickens. Mild tracheal rales were observed in the broilers but not in the SPF birds starting 3 days postinfection (DPI) and until the end of the experiment at 16 DPI. Infected chickens had gross and histologic changes limited to the respiratory system (sinuses, trachea, lungs, and air sacs) characterized by congestion and lymphoplasmacytic inflammation. However, the lesions in the broiler chickens were more severe than those in the SPF chicks. Furthermore, the virus caused significant (P = 0.004) reduction (230 g) in average body weight of the infected broiler group compared with the uninfected broiler group. Both broiler and SPF-infected groups seroconverted, and they had a geometric mean titer of 2(8.2) and 2(9.3), respectively, on the hemagglutination inhibition test at 16 DPI. Cloacal virus shedding was not detected by 9 DPI and 15 DPI in broiler and SPF-infected groups, respectively. This study demonstrated the pathogenic nature of the local Jordanian H9N2 isolate and the variation from what it has been reported in other countries of the region. Regional effort should be directed to start an eradication program of this disease because of its pathogenicity for chickens, wide distribution, and possible interference with surveillance for H5N1 serotype.     

H9N2亚型鸡源禽流感病毒分离与鉴定

禽流感 (AI)又名真性鸡瘟或欧洲鸡瘟 ,是由正粘病毒科 A型流感病毒引起的一种传染病 ,是国际兽医局规定的 A类烈性传染病。鸡、火鸡、鸭和鹌鹑等家禽及其他野禽均可感染。我们从新乡市某蛋鸡场分离鉴定 1株低致病力的 H9N2亚型的禽流感病毒毒株 ,现报告如下。1　材料与方法1.1　材料　病料来自河南职业技术师范学院禽病研究所接诊检验的病、死鸡。禽流感 A型琼扩抗原、标准阳性血清以及抗 HA、NA分型血清购自中国农科院哈尔滨兽医研究所 ;抗新城疫 (ND)血清和抗减蛋综合征 (EDS- 76 )血清由本院禽病研究所提供。 SPF鸡胚和雏鸡购自…     

Infectivity and transmissibility of H9N2 avian influenza virus in chickens and wild terrestrial birds

Genetic changes in avian influenza viruses influence their infectivity, virulence and transmission. Recently we identified a novel genotype of H9N2 viruses in widespread circulation in poultry in Pakistan that contained polymerases (PB2, PB1 and PA) and non-structural (NS) gene segments identical to highly pathogenic H7N3 viruses. Here, we investigated the potential of these viruses to cause disease and assessed the transmission capability of the virus within and between poultry and wild terrestrial avian species. Groups of broilers, layers, jungle fowl, quail, sparrows or crows were infected with a representative strain (A/chicken/UDL-01/08) of this H9N2 virus and then mixed with naïve birds of the same breed or species, or different species to examine transmission. With the exception of crows, all directly inoculated and contact birds showed clinical signs, varying in severity with quail showing the most pronounced clinical signs. Virus shedding was detected in all infected birds, with quail showing the greatest levels of virus secretion, but only very low levels of virus were found in directly infected crow samples. Efficient virus intra-species transmission was observed within each group with the exception of crows in which no evidence of transmission was seen. Interspecies transmission was examined between chickens and sparrows and vice versa and efficient transmission was seen in either direction. These results highlight the ease of spread of this group of H9N2 viruses between domesticated poultry and sparrows and show that sparrows need to be considered as a high risk species for transmitting H9N2 viruses between premises.     

Highly pathogenic virus recovered from chickens infected with mildly pathogenic 1986 isolates of H5N2 avian influenza virus

A combination of in vitro and in vivo selection procedures was used to examine the possibility that certain mildly pathogenic field isolates of avian influenza (AI) virus may contain minority subpopulations of highly pathogenic virus. Two mildly pathogenic H5N2 isolates, A/chicken/New Jersey/12508/86 (NJ12508) and A/chicken/Florida/27716/86 (FL27716), recovered from chickens epidemiologically associated with urban live-bird markets, were cloned in trypsin-free chicken embryo fibroblast cultures. Selected clones were inoculated intranasally and intratracheally (IN/IT) into specific-pathogen-free laying hens, and virus reisolated from the hens that died was serially passed in hens by IN/IT inoculation. Several highly pathogenic reisolates were recovered from hens infected with the cloned NJ12508 or FL27716 virus. A highly pathogenic NJ12508 reisolate killed 19 of 24 IN/IT-inoculated hens, and a FL27716 reisolate killed all 24 inoculated hens; signs and lesions were typical of fowl plague. In contrast, uncloned NJ12508 stock virus killed 1 of 24 hens and FL27716 stock virus killed 4 of 24 hens, and neither produced the complete spectrum of lesions associated with fowl plague. Recovery of highly pathogenic viruses from these isolates demonstrates the coexistence of pathogenically distinct subpopulations of virus. Competition for dominance among such subpopulations could explain the variable pathogenicity of some AI viruses.     

H9N2型禽流感病毒不同传播方式的分子机制

H 9N 2亚型禽流感病毒属正黏病毒科流感病毒属A型流感病毒。虽表现低致病性,但由于传播广泛、能造成免疫抑制并使宿主易发生继发感染,其危害不容忽视[1]。反向遗传技术是近几年快速发展的一项新方法,是根据病毒基因组及其复制的特点,建立操作系统,从克隆的cDNA产生病毒的过程[2     

1株H9N2亚型重组禽流感病毒的生物学特性

为研制高效特异的H9N2亚型AI疫苗,试验对利用反向基因操作技术构建的1株表面基因由A/chicken/Shanghai/10/01(H9N2)(简称SH10)提供、内部基因由12质粒系统提供的重组病毒SH/PR8的生物学特性进行了研究.结果表明,与亲本毒相比重组病毒的毒力有所下降,重组病毒在鸡胚上生长的适应性能更好,更适于作为新型疫苗株使用.     

鹅源H5N1亚型禽流感病毒感染雏鸡免疫器官细胞凋亡的研究

为研究鹅源H5N1亚型禽流感病毒(AIV)人工感染雏鸡免疫器官细胞凋亡的动态变化,本研究将50只1日龄SPF雏鸡随机分为两组。试验组雏鸡于7日龄,分别经鼻、眼、口同时感染105TCID50的鹅源H5N1亚型AIV,分别于感染后3d、4d、5d、7d和14d迫杀,采取胸腺、法氏囊和脾脏,应用TUNEL染色法和透射电镜技术观察其细胞凋亡的动态变化情况。结果显示,试验组雏鸡的胸腺和脾脏凋亡细胞数量在感染后3d～7d极显著高于对照组(p<0.01);法氏囊凋亡细胞数量在感染后3d～4d比对照组明显增加(p<0.05或p<0.01)。组织器官超微结构检测可见凋亡细胞核染色质固缩并凝结成块,聚集在核膜周围,呈新月状或环状;细胞质浓缩。表明鹅源H5N1AIV能够诱导感染雏鸡免疫器官发生细胞凋亡。     

H9N2亚型禽流感病毒流行病学及其疫苗的研究进展

禽流感(avian influenza AI)是由A型流感病毒引起的一种高度接触性传染病。H9N2是A型流感病毒的1个亚型,其谱系复杂,流行范围广,已经成为我国AI的主要亚型。尽管我国自1998年就开始进行H9N2亚型禽流感病毒(AIV)的防疫,但目前其疫苗株与流行株的抗原性已经出现了较大的差异。带毒野禽的迁徙不仅使H9N2AIV防控难度加大,而且使AI的流行不断复杂化;活禽交易市场为AIV重排以及跨种传播提供了有利的条件。此外,H9N2AIV感染谱在不断扩大,不仅感染哺乳动物,甚至已经感染了人群;因此,有必要重新认识H9N2AIV的兽医学和公共卫生学意义。现就H9N2AIV近年在我国的流行情况及其疫苗的研究进展作一综述。     

Comparative susceptibility of chickens and turkeys to avian influenza A H7N2 virus infection and protective efficacy of a commercial avian influenza H7N2 virus vaccine

During the spring of 2002, a low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) A (H7N2) virus caused a major outbreak among commercial poultry in Virginia and adjacent states. The virus primarily affected turkey flocks, causing respiratory distress and decreased egg production. Experimentally, turkeys were more susceptible than chickens to H7N2 virus infection, with 50% bird infectious dose titers equal to 10(0.8) and 10(2.8-3.2), respectively. Comparison of virus shedding from the cloaca and oropharynx demonstrated that recent H7N2 virus isolates were readily isolated from the upper respiratory tract but rarely from the gastrointestinal tract. The outbreak of H7N2 virus raised concerns regarding the availability of vaccines that could be used for the prevention and control of this virus in poultry. We sought to determine if an existing commercial avian influenza (AI) vaccine prepared from a 1997 seed stock virus could provide protection against a 2002 LPAI H7N2 virus isolated from a turkey (A/turkey/Virginia/158512/02 [TV/02]) in Virginia that was from the same lineage as the vaccine virus. The inactivated AI vaccine, prepared from A/chicken/ Pennsylvania/21342/97 (CP/97) virus, significantly reduced viral shedding from vaccinated turkeys in comparison with sham controls but did not prevent infection. The protective effect of vaccination correlated with the level of virus-specific antibody because a second dose of vaccine increased antiviral serum immunoglobulin G and hemagglutination inhibition (HI) reactivity titers in two different turkey age groups. Serum from CP/97-vaccinated turkeys reacted equally well to CP/97 and TV/02 antigens by HI and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. These results demonstrate the potential benefit of using an antigenically related 1997 H7N2 virus as a vaccine candidate for protection in poultry against a H7N2 virus isolate from 2002.     

H5N1亚型禽流感病毒感染SPF雏鸡免疫器官变化

为了探讨H5N1禽流感病毒(AIV)感染对SPF雏鸡免疫器官细胞免疫功能的影响。以7日龄SPF雏鸡为研究对象,应用组织化学技术结合病理学方法,通过T细胞数量、增殖功能、CD4~+和CD8~+亚型数量及其比值变化的检测,对H5N1亚型AIV感染SPF雏鸡后,免疫器官细胞免疫变化进行了较系统研究。结果发现,H5N1亚型AIV感染SPF雏鸡后3～7 d,其胸腺、脾脏、腔上囊无论是T细胞数量还是胸腺和脾脏T细胞对Con A的增殖功能,以及CD4~+和CD8~+T细胞数均显著低于对照雏鸡。病毒感染雏鸡后1～5 d,CD4~+/CD8~+T细胞比值也显著低于对照雏鸡;AIV感染雏鸡全部发病,呈现典型AIV感染症状,死亡率为40%。表明AIV感染所致雏鸡免疫器官细胞免疫功能低下,是AIV免疫致病机制的重要环节。     

禽呼肠孤病毒感染后SPF鸡关节中Toll样受体的mRNA转录水平变化

禽呼肠孤病毒(avian reovirus,ARV)感染主要引起鸡的病毒性关节炎和免疫抑制等,造成养禽业巨大经济损失。近年来Toll样受体(Toll-like receptors,TLRs)在病原体感染中的作用受到广泛关注。在本试验中,将ARV S1133毒株经足垫注射,接种7日龄SPF鸡,感染后1、3、5、7、14、21、28和35d采集鸡关节样品,利用荧光定量PCR方法检测TLR3、TLR5、TLR7、TLR15和TLR21在关节组织中的mRNA表达水平变化,探讨ARV感染对鸡关节中上述TLRs mRNA表达量的影响。结果表明,ARV可引起,尤其感染早期鸡只出现足垫肿胀的症状,并且关节中这些TLRs在感染后3d显著上调并达到峰值(P<0.05或P<0.01),随后表达量开始下调,在感染后14d表达量显著下调到最低值(P<0.05或P<0.01),然后直至试验结束,恢复至与对照组基本持平。以上结果提示TLR3、TLR5、TLR7、TLR15和TLR21可能参与了ARV感染对鸡关节的炎症过程,本试验结果为进一步阐明禽呼肠孤病毒的致病机理提供了依据。     

不同H9N2亚型禽流感病毒株致病力的比较试验

参照NDV评价毒力的方法对1998—2008年间收集的25株H9N2AIV的致病性进行了比较研究。结果显示,25株H9N2AIV不同毒株间致病性有较大差异,大致分为3类：致病性偏强、致病性中等和致病性较弱。从中选出致病力有差异的8个毒株进行了1日龄雏鸡脑内接种指数（ICPI）、6周龄鸡静脉接种指数（IVPI）以及8周龄SPF鸡人工感染排毒试验,结果证明大部分毒株ICPI和IVPI基本上为0,排毒散毒的高峰期在攻毒后第5天到第6天。在25个毒株中,3#和12#表现出了比较高的致病性,不仅其EID50值最高（分别为10-8.8/0.2mL和10-8.8/0.2mL）、ELD50值最高（分别为10-7.9/0.2mL和10-8.7/0.2mL）,而且鸡胚平均死亡时间也最短（分别为66.5,69h）。3#、12#还出现了1日龄雏鸡脑内接种指数（分别为0.238,0.437）和6周鸡静脉内接种指数（分别为0.34,0.51）。在8周龄SPF鸡人工感染排毒试验中3#和12#毒株的排毒量大,排毒时间也明显长于其他毒株（第2～9天）。以上试验结果表明我国H9N2AIV不同毒株致病性有明显差异,呈多态性,致病性偏强的毒株造成鸡群较高的死亡率。     

The occurrence and transmission characteristics of airborne H9N2 avian influenza virus

To better understand the transmission route of H9N2 avian influenza virus (AIV), two duplicate trials were conducted to observe the process of aerosol infection and direct contact in specific pathogen free chickens. Fifteen chickens (G1) were inoculated with H9N2 AIV and housed together with another 15 chickens (G2) in the same positive-negative-pressure isolator (A). Fifteen chickens (G3) were bred in another isolator (B) which was connected with A so that air could flow unidirectionally from A to B. Air, oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs, and blood samples were collected for the detection of aerosolized virus, virus shedding, and seroconversion. AIV aerosols were initially detected at day 2-3 post inoculation (dpi), reaching peak concentrations at 7 dpi. Virus shedding was detected in all chickens of G2, but only in a part in G3 (T1: 87%, T2: 80%). Antibodies were initially detected at 4-5 dpi, peaking at 14-21 dpi. The results showed that H9N2 AIV could be transmitted by both aerosol exposure and direct contact.     

Genetic characterization of H9N2 avian influenza virus previously unrecognized in Korea

In this study, we describe the isolation and characterization of previously unreported Y280-lineage H9N2 viruses from two live bird markets in Korea in June 2020. Genetic analysis revealed that they were distinct from previous H9N2 viruses circulating in Korea and had highest homology to A/chicken/Shandong/1844/2019(H9N2) viruses. Their genetic constellation showed they belonged to genotype S, which is the predominant genotype in China since 2010, where genotype S viruses have infected humans and acted as internal gene donors to H5 and H7 zoonotic influenza viruses. Active surveillance and control measures need to be enhanced to protect the poultry industry and public health.     

鹅源H5N1亚型禽流感病毒感染雏鸡免疫器官的病理学观察

应用组织病理学及超微病理学观察手段对HSN1亚型禽流感毒株感染雏鸡免疫器官的病理学变化进行了系统研究。结果显示，感染雏鸡胸腺、腔上囊及脾均表现不同程度的病理学损伤。表明，禽流感病毒感染可造成雏鸡免疫器官组织损伤，这是导致感染雏鸡免疫功能降低的重要机制之一。     

H9N2亚型禽流感病毒对樱桃谷肉鸭的致病性

为了研究H9N2亚型禽流感病毒（AIV）对樱桃谷肉鸭的致病性。本试验利用1株鸭源H9N2亚型AIV分别通过静脉注射和鼻内接种途径感染2周龄健康樱桃谷肉鸭,观察感染鸭的症状、排毒规律及组织学变化,流式细胞术分析外周血CD4^＋和CD8^＋T细胞变化规律,实时荧光定量（RT-qPCR）检测脾脏中细胞因子的表达水平,并测定血清HI抗体效价。结果显示,攻毒后,静脉注射组鸭出现体质量增长显著缓慢、呼吸道症状以及全身性感染,而鼻内接种组鸭无明显临床症状,仅发生局部感染;两攻毒组鸭泄殖腔较气管排毒量高且排毒时间长;外周血CD8^＋T细胞显著升高,并且脾脏IFNA、IFNB、IFNG和IL2表达水平上调,IL1B和IL6表达水平仅在静脉注射组上调;血清HI抗体水平低且维持时间短。结果表明,在实验室条件下,H9N2亚型AIV对樱桃谷肉鸭致病力较弱,仅静脉接种组引起鸭体质量增长缓慢及呼吸系统出血、淋巴细胞浸润。