Genetic characterization of H5N1 influenza virus that caused new outbreak in Israel at the beginning of 2008

• Published in: Comparative immunology, microbiology and infectious diseases microbiology and infectious diseases, 2010-09, Vol.33 (5), p.365-373
• Main Authors: Shimon, Perk, Golender, Natalia, Lapin, Ekaterina, Pokamunski, Shimon, Berman, Elyakum, Tendler, Yevgeny, Bellaiche, Michel, Panshin, Alexander, Davidson, Irit
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Allergy and Immunology; Amino Acid Substitution; Amino acids; Analyse phylogénique; Animals; Antigens, Viral - genetics; Avian influenza virus; Biological and medical sciences; Birds; Disease Outbreaks; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes, Viral; Géne l’hémagglutinine; H5N1 subtype; Hemagglutinin gene; Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus - genetics; Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus - immunology; Humans; Infectious Disease; Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype - classification; Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype - genetics; Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype - immunology; Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype - isolation & purification; Influenza in Birds - epidemiology; Influenza in Birds - virology; Influenza, Human - epidemiology; Influenza, Human - virology; Israel - epidemiology; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Mutation; Neuraminidase - genetics; Phylogenetic analysis; Phylogeny; Virology; Virus de la grippe aviaire de type H5N1
• ISSN: 0147-9571; 1878-1667
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cimid.2008.12.002

Abstract Our aim was to characterize the A/ck/Israeli/1055/2008 (H5N1) avian influenza virus that was isolated at the beginning of 2008, and to establish the phylogenetic relationship of this isolate to other H5N1 viruses that were recently isolated in adjacent countries. In light of a study of complete nucleotide sequences of all the genes we found that the isolate (year 2008) was closely related to the H5N1 viruses isolated in Egypt, Israel and Gaza in 2006. The Israeli isolate had the hemagglutinin-connecting peptide with a polybasic amino acid insertion. The most host-restriction sites of the 2008 isolate were typical of avian hosts, with one exception: K627 at the PB2 protein. As compared with previous local H5N1 isolates, a high mutation rate was found at the HA gene, which antigenic sites were under positive selection pressure.