A Global Perspective on H9N2 Avian Influenza Virus

Peacock, Thomas P.; James, Joe; Sealy, Joshua E; Iqbal, Munir

doi:10.20944/preprints201906.0085.v1

Cited by 90 publications

(126 citation statements)

References 114 publications

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“…Since it was first identified in 1966 [1], H9N2 has become endemic worldwide, especially in Asia and Africa. Some countries, including China, Republic of Korea, and Egypt, have adopted a vaccination scheme against H9N2 in their poultry farms [2]. However, H9N2 outbreaks have been continuously reported even in farm animals immunized against avian influenza [3], implying that the current vaccination strategy is in need of advancement for improved performance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bacillus subtilis spores as adjuvants against avian influenza H9N2 induce antigen-specific antibody and T cell responses in White Leghorn chickens

Lee

Kye

Park

et al. 2020

Vet Res

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Low-pathogenicity avian influenza H9N2 remains an endemic disease worldwide despite continuous vaccination, indicating the need for an improved vaccine strategy. Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis), a gram-positive and endosporeforming bacterium, is a non-pathogenic species that has been used in probiotic formulations for both animals and humans. The objective of the present study was to elucidate the effect of B. subtilis spores as adjuvants in chickens administered inactivated avian influenza virus H9N2. Herein, the adjuvanticity of B. subtilis spores in chickens was demonstrated by enhancement of H9N2 virus-specific IgG responses. B. subtilis spores enhanced the proportion of B cells and the innate cell population in splenocytes from chickens administered both inactivated H9N2 and B. subtilis spores (Spore + H9N2). Furthermore, the H9N2 and spore administration induced significantly increased expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-6 compared to that in the H9N2 only group. Additionally, total splenocytes from chickens immunized with inactivated H9N2 in the presence or absence of B. subtilis spores were restimulated with inactivated H9N2. The subsequent results showed that the extent of antigen-specific CD4 + and CD8 + T cell proliferation was higher in the Spore + H9N2 group than in the group administered only H9N2. Taken together, these data demonstrate that B. subtilis spores, as adjuvants, enhance not only H9N2 virus-specific IgG but also CD4 + and CD8 + T cell responses, with an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokine production. This approach to vaccination with inactivated H9N2 together with a B. subtilis spore adjuvant in chickens produces a significant effect on antigenspecific antibody and T cell responses against avian influenza virus.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bacillus subtilis spores as adjuvants against avian influenza H9N2 induce antigen-specific antibody and T cell responses in White Leghorn chickens

Lee

Kye

Park

et al. 2020

Vet Res

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“…H9N2 avian influenza viruses (AIVs) are low pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI) viruses that are enzootic in poultry in many countries across Asia, Africa and the Middle East (3)(4)(5)(6).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contribution of Segment 3 to the Acquisition of Virulence in Contemporary H9N2 Avian Influenza Viruses

Clements

Sealy

Peacock

et al. 2020

J Virol

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H9N2 avian influenza viruses circulate in poultry throughout much of Asia, the Middle East and Africa. These viruses cause huge economic damage to poultry production systems and pose a zoonotic threat both in their own right as well as in the generation of novel zoonotic viruses, for example, H7N9. In recent years it has been observed that H9N2 viruses have further adapted to gallinaceous poultry, becoming more highly transmissible and causing higher morbidity and mortality. Here, we investigate the molecular basis for this increased virulence, comparing a virus from the 1990s and a contemporary field strain. The modern virus replicated to higher titres in various systems and this difference mapped to a single amino acid polymorphism at position 26 of the endonuclease domain shared by the PA and PA-X proteins. This change was responsible for increased replication and higher morbidity and mortality rates along with extended tissue tropism seen in chickens. Although the PA K26E change correlated with increased host cell shutoff activity of the PA-X protein in vitro, it could not be overridden by frameshift site mutations that block PA-X expression and therefore increased PA-X activity could not explain the differences in replication phenotype. Instead, this indicates these differences are due to subtle effects on PA function. This work gives insight into the ongoing evolution and poultry adaptation of H9N2 and other avian influenza viruses and helps us understand the striking morbidity and mortality rates in the field, as well as rapidly expanding geographical range seen in these viruses. Importance Avian influenza viruses, such as H9N2, cause huge economic damage to poultry production worldwide and are additionally considered potential pandemic threats. Understanding how these viruses evolve in their natural hosts is key to effective control strategies. In the Middle East and South Asia an older H9N2 virus strain has been replaced by a new reassortant strain with greater fitness. Here we take representative viruses and investigate the genetic basis for this ‘fitness'. A single mutation in the virus was responsible for greater fitness, enabling high growth of the contemporary H9N2 virus in cells, as well as in chickens. The genetic mutation that modulates this change is within the viral PA protein, a part of the virus polymerase gene that contributes in viral replication as well as contribute in the virus accessory functions – however, we find that the fitness effect is specifically due to changes in the protein polymerase activity.

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“…AIV H9 infections of chickens in Asia, the Middle East and Africa are often associated with secondary infections resulting in high morbidity and mortality [50]. This blurs a clinical demarcation from infections with true HPAIV, and the detection at increasing frequency in southern Asia of H9N2 viruses encoding additional basic AA in their HACS is alarming.…”

Section: Extended Tissue Invasion In Infected Chickenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of pathogenicity of subtype H9 avian influenza wild-type viruses from a wide geographic origin expressing mono-, di-, or tri-basic hemagglutinin cleavage sites

Parvin

Schinkoethe

Grund

et al. 2020

Vet Res

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An intravenous pathogenicity index (IVPI) of > 1.2 in chickens or, in case of subtypes H5 and H7, expression of a polybasic hemagglutinin cleavage site (HACS), signals high pathogenicity (HP). Viruses of the H9N2-G1 lineage, which spread across Asia and Africa, are classified to be of low pathogenicity although, in the field, they became associated with severe clinical signs and epizootics in chickens. Here we report on a pre-eminent trait of recent H9N2-G1 isolates from Bangladesh and India, which express a tribasic HACS (motif PAKSKR-GLF; reminiscent of an HPAIV-like polybasic HACS) and compare their features to H9Nx viruses with di-and monobasic HACS from other phylogenetic and geographic origins. In an in vitro assay, the tribasic HACS of H9N2 was processed by furin-like proteases similar to bona fide H5 HPAIV while some dibasic sites showed increased cleavability but monobasic HACS none. Yet, all viruses remained trypsin-dependent in cell culture. In ovo, only tribasic H9N2 viruses were found to replicate in a grossly extended spectrum of embryonic organs. In contrast to all subtype H5/H7 HPAI viruses, tribasic H9N2 viruses did not replicate in endothelial cells either in the chorio-allantoic membrane or in other embryonic tissues. By IVPI, all H9Nx isolates proved to be of low pathogenicity. Pathogenicity assessment of tribasic H9N2-G1 viruses remains problematic. It cannot be excluded that the formation of a third basic amino acid in the HACS forms an intermediate step towards a gain in pathogenicity. Continued observation of the evolution of these viruses in the field is recommended.

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A Global Perspective on H9N2 Avian Influenza Virus

Cited by 90 publications

References 114 publications

Bacillus subtilis spores as adjuvants against avian influenza H9N2 induce antigen-specific antibody and T cell responses in White Leghorn chickens

Bacillus subtilis spores as adjuvants against avian influenza H9N2 induce antigen-specific antibody and T cell responses in White Leghorn chickens

Contribution of Segment 3 to the Acquisition of Virulence in Contemporary H9N2 Avian Influenza Viruses

Comparison of pathogenicity of subtype H9 avian influenza wild-type viruses from a wide geographic origin expressing mono-, di-, or tri-basic hemagglutinin cleavage sites

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