Novel H16N3 avian influenza viruses isolated from migratory gulls in China in 2023.

ABSTRACT: As a rare subtype of avian influenza virus, H16 viruses are predominant in gulls but rarely found in domestic birds. The low prevalence of H16 viruses has limited our understanding of their epidemiology and evolutionary dynamics. In this study, we isolated three novel H16N3 viruses from migratory gulls in East Asian-Australasian Flyway in eastern China in 2023, which are significantly different from previously identified isolates. To fully understand the epidemiology and genetics characteristics of the global H16 viruses, we compared the host divergence of several rare subtypes and determined that the H13 and H16 subtypes were predominantly pooled into different species of gulls by sharing their internal genes, whereas the waterfowl of Anatidae served as the primary natural reservoi

SUBMITTER: Peng P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11802517 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature