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Genetic analysis of H9N2 avian influenza viruses isolated from India

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Abstract

H9N2 avian influenza viruses are endemic in domestic poultry in Asia and are grouped into three major sublineages represented by their prototype strains A/Duck/Hong Kong/Y280/97 (Y280-like), A/Quail/Hong Kong/G1/97 (G1-like) and A/Chicken/Korea/38349-p96323/96 (Korean-like). To understand the genetic relationship of Indian viruses, we determined the partial nucleotide sequence of five H9N2 avian influenza viruses isolated from chicken in India during 2003–2004 and compared them with H9N2 sequences available in GenBank. Deduced amino acid sequence analysis revealed that four isolates shared an R–S–S–R/G motif at the cleavage site of HA, representing low pathogenicity in chickens, while one virus harbors an R–S–N–R/G motif at the same position. All the viruses maintained the human-like motif 226Lysine (H3 numbering) at the HA receptor binding site. Phylogenetic analysis showed that 50% of the genes (HA, NA, NP and M) were similar to G1-like viruses, whereas the remaining genes of the Indian isolates formed a separate, not yet defined, sublineage in the Eurasian lineage. Our finding provides evidence of a novel reassortant H9N2 genotype of G1-like viruses circulating in India.

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Acknowledgments

We are thankful to the Director, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar for facilities and to Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi for providing necessary funds to carry out this work.

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Author notes

  1. B. Pattnaik

    Present address: Project Directorate on Foot-and-Mouth Disease, Indian Veterinary Research Institute Campus, Mukteswar-Kumaon, Nainital, 263138, Uttarakhand, India

  2. H. K. Pradhan

    Present address: World Health Organization, Bharatiya Kalakendra, 1-Copernicus Marg, New Delhi, 110 001, India

Authors and Affiliations

  1. High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Anand Nagar, Bhopal, 462 021, India

    C. Tosh, S. Nagarajan, P. Behera, K. Rajukumar, K. Purohit, R. P. Kamal, H. V. Murugkar, S. Gounalan, B. Pattnaik, P. R. Vanamayya, H. K. Pradhan & S. C. Dubey

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  1. C. Tosh
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  2. S. Nagarajan
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  3. P. Behera
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Correspondence to S. C. Dubey.

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Tosh, C., Nagarajan, S., Behera, P. et al. Genetic analysis of H9N2 avian influenza viruses isolated from India. Arch Virol 153, 1433–1439 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-008-0131-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-008-0131-9

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