Pathogenicity in Chickens and Turkeys of a 2021 United States H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Clade 2.3.4.4b Wild Bird Virus Compared to Two Previous H5N8 Clade 2.3.4.4 Viruses

Authors

Mary J. Pantin-Jackwood, United States National Poultry Research CenterFollow
Erica Spackman, Uunited States National Poultry Research CenterFollow
Christina Leyson, Uunited States National Poultry Research Center
Sungsu Youk, Chungbuk National University
Scott A. Lee, Uunited States National Poultry Research Center
Linda M. Moon, Uunited States National Poultry Research CenterFollow
Mia K. Torchetti, United States National Veterinary Services Laboratories
Mary L. Killian, United States National Veterinary Services Laboratories
Julianna B. Lenoch, United States National Wildlife Disease Program
Darrell R. Kapczynski, United States National Poultry Research Center
David E. Swayne, Birdflu Veterinarian LLC
David L. Suarez, United States National Poultry Research CenterFollow

ORCID IDs

Pantin-Jackwood https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0414-213X

Leyson https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0016-4334

Killian https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8613-2009

Swayne https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7472-1992

Suarez https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4582-6116

Date of this Version

11-18-2023

Citation

MDPI Viruses (2023) 15: 2273

doi: 10.3390/v15112273

Academic editor: Ayato Takada

Comments

United States government work

and

License: CC BY

Abstract

Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) of subtype H5 of the Gs/GD/96 lineage remain a major threat to poultry due to endemicity in wild birds. H5N1 HPAIVs from this lineage were detected in 2021 in the United States (US) and since then have infected many wild and domestic birds. We evaluated the pathobiology of an early US H5N1 HPAIV (clade 2.3.4.4b, 2021) and two H5N8 HPAIVs from previous outbreaks in the US (clade 2.3.4.4c, 2014) and Europe (clade 2.3.4.4b, 2016) in chickens and turkeys. Differences in clinical signs, mean death times (MDTs), and virus transmissibility were found between chickens and turkeys. The mean bird infective dose (BID₅₀) of the 2021 H5N1 virus was approximately 2.6 log₁₀ 50% embryo infective dose (EID₅₀) in chickens and 2.2 log₁₀ EID₅₀ in turkeys, and the virus transmitted to contact-exposed turkeys but not chickens. The BID₅₀ for the 2016 H5N8 virus was also slightly different in chickens and turkeys (4.2 and 4.7 log₁₀ EID₅₀, respectively); however, the BID₅₀ for the 2014 H5N8 virus was higher for chickens than turkeys (3.9 and ~0.9 log₁₀ EID₅₀, respectively). With all viruses, turkeys took longer to die (MDTs of 2.6–8.2 days for turkeys and 1–4 days for chickens), which increased the virus shedding period and facilitated transmission to contacts.