An unprecedented outbreak of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been reported for poultry in eight different Asian countries, including South Korea, since December 2003. A phylogenetic analysis of the eight viral genes showed that the H5N1 poultry isolates from South Korea were of avian origin and contained the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase genes of the A/goose/Guangdong/1/96 (Gs/Gd) lineage. The current H5N1 strains in Asia, including the Korean isolates, share a gene constellation similar to that of the Penfold Park, Hong Kong, isolates from late 2002 and contain some molecular markers that seem to have been fixed in the Gs/Gd lineage virus since 2001. However, despite genetic similarities among recent H5N1 isolates, the topology of the phylogenetic tree clearly differentiates the Korean isolates from the Vietnamese and Thai isolates which have been reported to infect humans. A representative Korean isolate was inoculated into mice, with no mortality and no virus being isolated from the brain, although high titers of virus were observed in the lungs. The same isolate, however, caused systemic infections in chickens and quail and killed all of the birds within 2 and 4 days of intranasal inoculation, respectively. This isolate also replicated in multiple organs and tissues of ducks and caused some mortality. However, lower virus titers were observed in all corresponding tissues of ducks than in chicken and quail tissues, and the histological lesions were restricted to the respiratory tract. This study characterizes the molecular and biological properties of the H5N1 HPAI viruses from South Korea and emphasizes the need for comparative analyses of the H5N1 isolates from different countries to help elucidate the risk of a human pandemic from the strains of H5N1 HPAI currently circulating in Asia.

Duck hepatitis was first reported in 1985 in Korea. The complete nucleotide sequence of two past Korean isolates, DHV-HS and DHV-HSS, isolated in 1994 and 1995, and four recent Korean isolates, AP-03337, AP-04009, AP-04114 and AP-04203 isolated in 2003 and 2004, were determined. Phylogenetic analysis using the 3D protein sequence confirmed that the previously characterized duck hepatitis virus type 1 strains and the six Korean isolates described here constitute a monophyletic group and form two clades/genotypes in which all except the four recent Korean isolates form one group (A) and the recent Korean isolates of 2003 and 2004 constitute a second group (B). Phylogenetic analysis of the VP1 protein supported the division into two different groups. Antisera raised against viruses of group A showed significant neutralizing cross-reaction against a member of the same genotype but not to a strain of group B and vice versa. These results demonstrated that the two genotypes also could be regarded as two different serotypes.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) of the H5N1 subtype have spread since 2003 in poultry and wild birds in Asia, Europe and Africa. In Korea, the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza outbreaks took place in 2003/2004, 2006/2007 and 2008. As the 2006/2007 isolates differ phylogenetically from the 2003/2004 isolates, we assessed the clinical responses of chickens, ducks and quails to intranasal inoculation of the 2006/2007 index case virus, A/chicken/Korea/IS/06. All the chickens and quails died on 3 days and 3-6 days post-inoculation (DPI), respectively, whilst the ducks only showed signs of mild depression. The uninoculated chickens and quails placed soon after with the inoculated flock died on 5.3 and 7.5 DPI, respectively. Both oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs were taken for all three species during various time intervals after inoculation. It was found that oropharyngeal swabs showed higher viral titers than in cloacal swabs applicable to all three avian species. The chickens and quails shed the virus until they died (up to 3 to 6 days after inoculation, respectively) whilst the ducks shed the virus on 2-4 DPI. The postmortem tissues collected from the chickens and quails on day 3 and days 4-5 and from clinically normal ducks that were euthanized on day 4 contained the virus. However, the ducks had significantly lower viral titers than the chickens or quails. Thus, the three avian species varied significantly in their clinical signs, mortality, tissue virus titers, and duration of virus shedding. Our observations suggest that duck and quail farms should be monitored particularly closely for the presence of HPAIV so that further virus transmission to other avian or mammalian hosts can be prevented.

winter season in South Korea, several outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian infl uenza virus (H5N1) were confi rmed among domestic poultry and in migratory bird habitats. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all isolates were closely related and that all belong to the A/ bar-headed goose/Qinghai/5/2005-like lineage rather than the A/chicken/Korea/ES/2003-like lineage.

The etiological agents of streptococcosis were isolated from diseased olive flounder collected on the Jeju island of Korea. A total of 151 bacterial isolates were collected between 2003 and 2006. The isolates were examined using various phenotypic and proteomic analyses, including sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), immunoblotting, and glycoprotein assays. In addition, isolates were grown on blood agar to assess hemolytic activity, and biochemical assays were performed using the API20 Strep kit. Our results revealed that all isolates were nonmotile, Gram-positive cocci that displayed negative catalase and oxidase activities. Multiplex PCR assays revealed that 43% and 57% of the isolates were Streptococcus iniae and Streptococcus parauberis, respectively. These results were consistent with those of the SDS-PAGE and immunoblot analyses using whole-cell lysates of bacterial isolates. Significant differences were observed with respect to the Voges-Proskauer, pyrrodonyl arylamidase, alkaline phosphatase, and hemolytic activities of the S. iniae and S. parauberis isolates. Isolates of S. iniae displayed uniform profiles in the immunoblot and glycoprotein assays; however, immunoblot assays of S. parauberis isolates (using a chicken IgY antibody raised against a homologous isolate) revealed three distinct antigenic profiles. Our findings suggest that S. parauberis and S. iniae are endemic pathogens responsible for the development of streptococcosis in olive flounder.

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The present study reports the clinical, virological and pathological findings observed in a natural outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in farmed commercial ducks. The ducks developed clinical signs, including mild respiratory distress, depression, mild diarrhoea, loss of appetite and increasing mortality (up to 12%). At necropsy, multifocal mottled necrosis was commonly found in the pancreas with splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, and swollen kidneys. Microscopically, there was necrotized pancreatitis and hepatitis, and lymphocytic meningoencephalitis and myocarditis. Influenza viral antigen was demonstrated in areas closely associated with histopathological lesion. Avian influenza virus was isolated from the caecal tonsil, faeces, and kidney of the domestic ducks. The isolated virus was identified as a highly pathogenic H5N1, with a haemagglutinin proteolytic cleavage site deduced amino acid sequence of ... QREKRKKR/GLFGAIAG ... In order to determine the pathogenicity of the isolate, eight 6-week-old specific pathogen free chickens were inoculated intravenously with the virus, and all birds died within 24 h after inoculation. This is the first report of an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza with clinical signs in commercial domestic ducks in South Korea.

In this study, we characterized H7 subtype low-pathogenicity (LP) influenza A viruses (IAVs) isolated from wild bird habitats in the Republic of Korea from 2010 to early 2017. Through national surveillance, 104 H7 IAVs were isolated, accounting for an average of 14.9% of annual IAV isolations. In early 2017, H7 subtypes accounted for an unusually high prevalence (43.6%) of IAV detections in wild birds. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all the viruses isolated in the winter of 2016–2017 fell within cluster II of group C, belonging to the Eurasian lineage of H7 IAVs. Notably, cluster II of group C included the H7 gene from the highly pathogenic H7N7 IAV that was detected in northeastern Italy in April of 2016. Through a gene-constellation analysis, the H7 LPIAVs that we isolated constituted ≥11 distinct genotypes. Because the viruses belonging to the genotypes G2.1 and G1 were observed most frequently, we compared the replication and transmission of representative viruses to these genotypes in specific-pathogen-free chickens. Notably, the representative G2.1 strain was capable of systemic replication and efficient transmission in chickens (as evidenced by virus isolation and histopathological examination) without any clinical signs except mortality (in one infected chicken). The efficient subclinical viral replication and shedding of the G2.1 virus in chickens may facilitate its silent spread among poultry after introduction. Given that wild birds harbor novel strains that could affect poultry, our results highlight the need for enhanced IAV surveillance in both wild birds and poultry in Eurasia.