Mammalian pathogenicity and transmissibility of low pathogenic avian influenza H7N1 and H7N3 viruses isolated from North America in 2018

Low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) H7 subtype viruses are infrequently, but persistently, associated with outbreaks in poultry in North America. These LPAI outbreaks provide opportunities for the virus to develop enhanced virulence and transmissibility in mammals and have previously resulted in b...

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Main Authors: Jessica A. Belser, Xiangjie Sun, Nicole Brock, Joanna A. Pulit-Penaloza, Joyce Jones, Natosha Zanders, C. Todd Davis, Terrence M. Tumpey, Taronna R. Maines
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2020-01-01
Series:Emerging Microbes and Infections
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Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/22221751.2020.1764396
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author Jessica A. Belser
Xiangjie Sun
Nicole Brock
Joanna A. Pulit-Penaloza
Joyce Jones
Natosha Zanders
C. Todd Davis
Terrence M. Tumpey
Taronna R. Maines
author_facet Jessica A. Belser
Xiangjie Sun
Nicole Brock
Joanna A. Pulit-Penaloza
Joyce Jones
Natosha Zanders
C. Todd Davis
Terrence M. Tumpey
Taronna R. Maines
author_sort Jessica A. Belser
collection DOAJ
description Low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) H7 subtype viruses are infrequently, but persistently, associated with outbreaks in poultry in North America. These LPAI outbreaks provide opportunities for the virus to develop enhanced virulence and transmissibility in mammals and have previously resulted in both occasional acquisition of a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) phenotype in birds and sporadic cases of human infection. Two notable LPAI H7 subtype viruses caused outbreaks in 2018 in North America: LPAI H7N1 virus in chickens and turkeys, representing the first confirmed H7N1 infection in poultry farms in the United States, and LPAI H7N3 virus in turkeys, a virus subtype often associated with LPAI-to-HPAI phenotypes. Here, we investigated the replication capacity of representative viruses from these outbreaks in human respiratory tract cells and mammalian pathogenicity and transmissibility in the mouse and ferret models. We found that the LPAI H7 viruses replicated to high titre in human cells, reaching mean peak titres generally comparable to HPAI H7 viruses. Replication was efficient in both mammalian species, causing mild infection, with virus primarily limited to respiratory tract tissues. The H7 viruses demonstrated a capacity to transmit to naïve ferrets in a direct contact setting. These data support the need to perform routine risk assessments of LPAI H7 subtype viruses, even in the absence of confirmed human infection.
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spelling doaj-art-1431a47ff2b443dfafadcbb922daeb0f2025-08-20T03:08:32ZengTaylor & Francis GroupEmerging Microbes and Infections2222-17512020-01-01911037104510.1080/22221751.2020.1764396Mammalian pathogenicity and transmissibility of low pathogenic avian influenza H7N1 and H7N3 viruses isolated from North America in 2018Jessica A. Belser0Xiangjie Sun1Nicole Brock2Joanna A. Pulit-Penaloza3Joyce Jones4Natosha Zanders5C. Todd Davis6Terrence M. Tumpey7Taronna R. Maines8Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USAInfluenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USAInfluenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USAInfluenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USAInfluenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USAInfluenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USAInfluenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USAInfluenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USAInfluenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USALow pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) H7 subtype viruses are infrequently, but persistently, associated with outbreaks in poultry in North America. These LPAI outbreaks provide opportunities for the virus to develop enhanced virulence and transmissibility in mammals and have previously resulted in both occasional acquisition of a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) phenotype in birds and sporadic cases of human infection. Two notable LPAI H7 subtype viruses caused outbreaks in 2018 in North America: LPAI H7N1 virus in chickens and turkeys, representing the first confirmed H7N1 infection in poultry farms in the United States, and LPAI H7N3 virus in turkeys, a virus subtype often associated with LPAI-to-HPAI phenotypes. Here, we investigated the replication capacity of representative viruses from these outbreaks in human respiratory tract cells and mammalian pathogenicity and transmissibility in the mouse and ferret models. We found that the LPAI H7 viruses replicated to high titre in human cells, reaching mean peak titres generally comparable to HPAI H7 viruses. Replication was efficient in both mammalian species, causing mild infection, with virus primarily limited to respiratory tract tissues. The H7 viruses demonstrated a capacity to transmit to naïve ferrets in a direct contact setting. These data support the need to perform routine risk assessments of LPAI H7 subtype viruses, even in the absence of confirmed human infection.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/22221751.2020.1764396FerretmousetransmissioninfluenzaLPAIavian
spellingShingle Jessica A. Belser
Xiangjie Sun
Nicole Brock
Joanna A. Pulit-Penaloza
Joyce Jones
Natosha Zanders
C. Todd Davis
Terrence M. Tumpey
Taronna R. Maines
Mammalian pathogenicity and transmissibility of low pathogenic avian influenza H7N1 and H7N3 viruses isolated from North America in 2018
Emerging Microbes and Infections
Ferret
mouse
transmission
influenza
LPAI
avian
title Mammalian pathogenicity and transmissibility of low pathogenic avian influenza H7N1 and H7N3 viruses isolated from North America in 2018
title_full Mammalian pathogenicity and transmissibility of low pathogenic avian influenza H7N1 and H7N3 viruses isolated from North America in 2018
title_fullStr Mammalian pathogenicity and transmissibility of low pathogenic avian influenza H7N1 and H7N3 viruses isolated from North America in 2018
title_full_unstemmed Mammalian pathogenicity and transmissibility of low pathogenic avian influenza H7N1 and H7N3 viruses isolated from North America in 2018
title_short Mammalian pathogenicity and transmissibility of low pathogenic avian influenza H7N1 and H7N3 viruses isolated from North America in 2018
title_sort mammalian pathogenicity and transmissibility of low pathogenic avian influenza h7n1 and h7n3 viruses isolated from north america in 2018
topic Ferret
mouse
transmission
influenza
LPAI
avian
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/22221751.2020.1764396
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