Attachment Patterns of Avian Influenza H5 Clade 2.3.4.4b Virus in Respiratory Tracts of Marine Mammals, North Atlantic Ocean.

ABSTRACT: Highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b virus infections have caused substantial mortality events in marine mammals in recent years. We hypothesized that the high number of infections and disease severity could be related to cell tropism in respiratory tracts. Therefore, we examined the attachment pattern of an H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b virus (H5²⁰²²) as a measure for cell tropism in the respiratory tracts of harbor seals, gray seals, harbor porpoises, and bottlenose dolphins and compared it with an H5N1 clade 2.1.3.2 virus (H5²⁰⁰⁵) and a human seasonal H3N2 virus using virus histochemistry. Both H5 viruses attached abundantly to olfactory and respiratory mucosa in the upper respiratory tract of both seal species. H5²⁰²² attached more abundantly

SUBMITTER: Sooksawasdi Na Ayudhya S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12407193 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature