ABSTRACT
Molecular virological studies of the field material collected in the epicenter of epizooty with high mortality among mute swans (Cygnus olor) in the area of the lower estuary of the Volga River (November 2005) could establish the etiological role of highly pathogenic influenza A (HPAI) virus of the subtype H5N1. Ten HPAI/H5N1 strains deposited at the State Collection of Viruses of the Russian Federation with the priority dated December 1, 2005 were isolated from the cloacal/tracheal swabs and viscera of sick and freshly died mute swans. Complete nucleotide sequences of all fragments of the genome of 6 strains have been deposited in the Gene Bank. The paper discusses the molecular genetic characteristics of isolated strains.
Subject(s)
Animals, Wild/virology , Birds/virology , Disease Outbreaks , Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype/isolation & purification , Influenza in Birds/epidemiology , Influenza in Birds/virology , Animals , Blood/virology , Cell Line , Cloaca/virology , Dogs , Genes, Viral , Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype/genetics , Molecular Sequence Data , Nucleocapsid Proteins , Nucleoproteins/genetics , Orthomyxoviridae/genetics , RNA-Binding Proteins/genetics , RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase/genetics , Russia/epidemiology , Swine , Trachea/virology , Viral Core Proteins/genetics , Viral Matrix Proteins/genetics , Viral Nonstructural Proteins/genetics , Viral Proteins/genetics , Viscera/virologyABSTRACT
Sera sampled from 2,884 farming animals in the Astrakhan region in 2001 to 2004 were investigated by the hemagglutination inhibition test (HIT) in order to indicate specific antibodies to West Nile virus (WNV). HIT-positive samples were investigated by the neutralization test (NT). WNV antibodies were detected in all the examined species of animals: horses (the proportion of positive tests throughout the observation averaged 9.8%; the agreement with NT results was 94.1%), cattle (6,4 and 72.%), camels (5.2 and 41.7%), pigs (3.1 and 75%), and sheep (2.2 and 57.1). Relationships between the environmental features of WNV in different natural zones, the infection rate, and the conditions of keeping farming animals in the Astrakhan region are analyzed.
