Virulence determinants of high-pathogenic avian influenza viruses in gallinaceous poultry

摘要: High-pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) cause devastating outbreaks in domestic poultry worldwide. Moreover, they repeatedly lead to severe, even fatal disease humans, raising concerns about their pandemic potential. HPAIV have evolved from circulating low-pathogenic precursors several independent events by spontaneous acquisition of a polybasic cleavage site the hemagglutinin (HA) envelope protein. Remarkably, nature, are confined HA serotypes H5 and H7 16 known birds. However, experimental introduction into non-H5/H7 may result highly pathogenic phenotype, indicating that emergence with novel is conceivable, but requires further adaptation chicken host.