Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Athens, Georgia » U.S. National Poultry Research Center » Exotic & Emerging Avian Viral Diseases Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #374387

Research Project: Intervention Strategies to Prevent and Control Disease Outbreaks Caused by Emerging Strains of Avian Influenza Viruses

Location: Exotic & Emerging Avian Viral Diseases Research

Title: H7N1 low pathogenicity avian influenza virus in poultry in the United States during 2018

Author
item LEE, DONG-HUN - University Of Connecticut
item KILLIAN, MARY - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
item DELIBERTO, THOMAS - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
item WAN, XIU-FENG - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
item LEI, LI - University Of Missouri
item Swayne, David
item TORCHETTI, MIA - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

Submitted to: Avian Diseases
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/1/2020
Publication Date: 3/1/2021
Citation: Lee, D., Killian, M., Deliberto, T.J., Wan, X., Lei, L., Swayne, D.E., Torchetti, M. 2021. H7N1 low pathogenicity avian influenza virus in poultry in the United States during 2018. Avian Diseases. 65(1):59-62. https://doi.org/10.1637/aviandiseases-D-20-00088.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1637/aviandiseases-D-20-00088

Interpretive Summary: Low Pathogenicity avian Influenza virus (LPAIV) occurs naturally in wild birds and can spread to domestic poultry, but typically cause little or no disease in infected poultry. An outbreak of LPAIV was detected from poultry in Missouri and Texas during February and March 2018. Genetic analysis determined that all H7N1 LPAIV detected from this event were of North American wild bird lineage and the viruses are >99% similar across all genes. Genetic and epidemiologic evidence suggested independent introductions from wild birds to poultry in Texas and Missouri during fall 2017 and winter 2018.

Technical Abstract: Here, we report three detections of H7N1 low pathogenicity avian influenza viruses (LPAIV) from poultry in Missouri and Texas during February and March 2018. Complete genome sequencing and comparative phylogenetic analysis suggest that the H7 LPAIV precursor viruses were circulating in wild birds in the Central and Mississippi Flyways, and was spilled over to domestic poultry in Texas and Missouri independently during fall 2017 and winter 2018.