Stable Population, Shifting Clades: A 17-Year Phylodynamic Study of IBV GI-19-like Strains in Spain Reveals the Relevance of Frequent Introduction Events, Local Dispersal and Recombination Events.

ABSTRACT: Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) remains a common pathogen in poultry production. Although its clinical and economic impact in Europe has markedly declined in recent decades due to extensive vaccination, ongoing viral circulation continues to pose risks to animal health and provides opportunities for viral evolution. In this study, we investigated the molecular epidemiology of GI-19 and related strains in Spain using samples collected between 2008 and 2025. Partial S1 sequencing revealed a complex scenario involving three major clades and several minor ones, the latter likely resulting from independent introduction events from north-western Europe, particularly Denmark. Six distinct recombination events involving GI-13 and GI-19 parental strains-some apparently vaccine derived-were

SUBMITTER: Franzo G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12846379 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature