A Gene Constellation in Avian Influenza A (H7N9) Viruses May Have Facilitated the Fifth Wave Outbreak in China.
The 2016-2017 epidemic of influenza A (H7N9) virus in China prompted concern that a genetic change may underlie increased virulence. Based on an evolutionary analysis of H7N9 viruses from all five outbreak waves, we find that additional subclades of the H7 and N9 genes have emerged. Our analysis indicates that H7N9 viruses inherited NP genes from co-circulating H7N9 instead of H9N2 viruses. Genotypic diversity among H7N9 viruses increased following wave I, peaked during wave III, and rapidly deceased thereafter with minimal diversity in wave V, suggesting that the viruses entered a relatively stable evolutionary stage. The ZJ11 genotype caused the majority of human infections in wave V. We suggest that the largest outbreak of wave V may be due to a constellation of genes rather than a single mutation. Therefore, continuous surveillance is necessary to minimize the threat of H7N9 viruses.
['Zhu|Wenfei|W|', 'Dong|Jie|J|', 'Zhang|Ye|Y|', 'Yang|Lei|L|', 'Li|Xiyan|X|', 'Chen|Tao|T|', 'Zhao|Xiang|X|', 'Wei|Hejiang|H|', 'Bo|Hong|H|', 'Zeng|Xiaoxu|X|', 'Huang|Weijuan|W|', 'Li|Zi|Z|', 'Tang|Jing|J|', 'Zhou|Jianfang|J|', 'Gao|Rongbao|R|', 'Xin|Li|L|', 'Yang|Jing|J|', 'Zou|Shumei|S|', 'Chen|Wenbing|W|', 'Liu|Jia|J|', 'Shu|Yuelong|Y|', 'Wang|Dayan|D|']
D019943:Amino Acid Substitution D000941:Antigens D002681:China D004196:Disease Outbreaks D019143:Evolution, Molecular D005838:Genotype D006801:Humans D064766:Influenza A Virus, H7N9 Subtype D007251:Influenza, Human D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins D010802:Phylogeny D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase D014758:Viral Core Proteins D014764:Viral Proteins
gene constellation influenza A (H7N9) viruses the fifth wave NP gene PB2 A588V