FGBU "ARRIAH" conducted research on the avian influenza virus genome in the Amur and Kirov regions

Employees of the reference laboratory of viral diseases of birds of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “ARRIAH” conducted a comparative genetic analysis of the identified viruses and found that they belong to highly virulent avian influenza viruses of the Asian genetic line HPAI subtype H5N1, clade 2.3.4.4b with the corresponding hemagglutinin cutting site of the “REKRRKR” structure. This genetic clade is currently the most common in Asia, Europe, Africa, South and North America. According to the GenBank international database, the viruses of the H5N1 subtype from RUSSIA, the Republic of Bangladesh, Nigeria, Egypt, Benin, France are the most genetically close to the detected viruses; H5N5 from Russia and H5N8 from Egypt and Nigeria allocated in 2021; subtype H5N1 from Spain, France, Egypt, usaisolated in 2022 (99.6% similarity). Viruses of the H5N1 subtype from Japan, isolated in 2022-2023 (99.6-100% similarity level), are also genetically close to the isolates detected in the Amur Region.

The studied viruses are genetically close to H5 avian influenza viruses identified in the period from 2020 to 2023 in different regions of the Russian Federation. The level of similarity (99.2-99.6%) is observed with avian influenza viruses detected in 2020-2022 in the Chelyabinsk region; in 2020, 2022 in the Rostov region, in 2021 in the Kaliningrad, Tyumen regions, in the republics of Crimea and Dagestan; in 2022 in Moscow, Ryazan, Belgorod, Samara, Saratov regions, Khabarovsk Territory; in 2023 in the Kaliningrad and Belgorod regions, the Stavropol Territory, the Republics of Dagestan and Kalmykia. The maximum similarity of virus isolates detected in the Kirov region is observed with H5N1 avian influenza viruses detected in the Kaliningrad region in April 2023.