my country's scientist team reveals the entire picture of the new H5N1 bird flu virus evolution

The reporter learned from the Harbin Veterinary Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Academy of Agricultural Sciences that the team of the institute and Academician Chen Hualan of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have made important progress in the research of H5N1 subtype high pathogenic avian influenza virus. Origin, evolution, and space -time communication characteristics have been conducted systematic research on the H5N1 virus monitored in my country.

Studies have found that the current popular H5N1 virus appears in European countries in October 2020. It is reconstructed by H5N8 bird flu virus with H1N1 and H3N8 and other sub -type bird flu viruses. From October 2020 to August 2021, the new H5N1 virus was popular among poultry and wild birds in Western, Nordic and Eastern European countries, spreading to most African countries. Since September 2021, it has caused the influenza in Europe and spread to many countries in Asia and North America.

From September 2021 to March 2022, the National Avian Influenza Reference Labs, which was established in the Harbin Veterinary Institute, collected 26767 wild birds and poultry samples across the country, and was separated from 13 H5N1 viruses. In order to explore the source of these new H5N1 viruses that have been introduced to our country, researchers conducted systematically genetic evolution and time and space communication analysis of 233 H5N1 subtype representatives around the world. Since the emergence of European countries, a complex gene fragment has been reused with a variety of wild bird source bird flu viruses in nature, forming 16 different genotypes. my country monitors 4 genotypes.

The picture shows the origin, evolution and space -time transmission of H5N1 subtype bird flu virus. (Provided by the respondent)

The team introduced that due to the protection of vaccine immunity, these global popular H5 bird flu viruses were introduced to our country by wild birds, but it did not cause substantial harm to our country's poultry.

Academician Chen Hualan's team found that the H5-RE14 vaccine strain currently used in my country is well matched with its antigenicity, which proves that the H5 and H7 three-valent bird flu vaccine can effectively block such H5N1 viruses invading immune poultry.

The research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the National Key R & D Plan, and the Science and Technology Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. The relevant research results were published in the magazine of "New Increases and Infection".