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Home / Equine Research Bank / Virol J / Emergence of equine influenza virus H3Nx Florida clade 2 in ...
Virology journal2022; 19(1); 185; doi: 10.1186/s12985-022-01917-9

Emergence of equine influenza virus H3Nx Florida clade 2 in Arabian racehorses in Egypt.

Abstract: Equine influenza is an important cause of respiratory disease in equids. The causative virus; EIV, is highly variable and can evolve by accumulation of mutations, particularly in the haemagglutinin (HA) gene. Currently, H3N8 is the sole subtype circulating worldwide with Florida clade 1 (FC1) is most prevalent in the Americas and FC2 in Asia and Europe. In Egypt, EIV was detected in two occasions: subtype H7N7 in 1989 and subtype H3N8 (FC1) in 2008. No data is available on the circulation pattern of EIV during the last decade despite frequent observation of suspected cases. Twenty-two nasal swabs were collected from vaccinated and non-vaccinated horses showing respiratory signs suggestive of EIV infection in 2017-18. Three additional swabs were retrieved during a national race event in January 2018 from Arabian mares with high fever, gait stiffness and dry cough. Samples were screened by RT-qPCR and HA1 domain of the hemagglutinin gene was amplified and sequenced for sequence and phylogenetic analysis. RT-qPCR screening revealed that only the 3 samples from the race were positive with cycle thresholds ranging from 16 to 21 indicating high viral load. Isolation attempts in hen's eggs were unsuccessful. Sequence analysis of the HA1 domain gene has revealed two identical nucleotide sequences, while the third contained 3 synonymous mutations. Phylogenetic analysis clustered study sequences with recent FC2 sequences from Europe. Amino acid alignments revealed 14 and 13 amino acid differences in the study sequences compared to A/equine/Egypt/6066NANRU-VSVRI/08 (H3N8) and A/equine/Kentucky/1997 (H3N8), respectively, available as EIV vaccines in Egypt. Nine amino acids were different from A/equine/Richmond/1/2007 (H3N8), the recommended FC2 vaccine strain by the world organization of animal health expert surveillance panel (OIE-ESP), two of which were unique to the Egyptian sequences while the remaining 7 changes were shared with the FC2-144V subgroup detected in the United Kingdom from late 2015 to 2016. The study represents the first reported detection of FC2-144V related EIV from Arabian mares in Egypt, and probably from the entire middle east region. The presented information about EIV epidemiology and spread may require reconsideration of the vaccine strains used in the national vaccination programs.
© 2022. The Author(s).
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Publication Date: 2022-11-12 PubMed ID: 36371185PubMed Central: PMC9652821DOI: 10.1186/s12985-022-01917-9Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article discusses the emergence of a specific strain of equine influenza virus (EIV) known as H3N8 Florida clade 2 (FC2) in Arabian racehorses in Egypt. The researchers detect this strain in horses showing signs of infection and study its genomic characteristics to trace its origin and propose effective vaccinations.

Introduction and Background

  • The study focuses on equine influenza, a significant respiratory disease in horses, caused by the EIV. The EIV is a highly variable virus that can evolve through mutations, mainly in its haemagglutinin (HA) gene.
  • The researchers mention that H3N8 is currently the only EIV subtype circulating globally.
  • The paper draws attention to the previous instances of EIV detection in Egypt – once in 1989 and again in 2008, but notes a lack of data on EIV’s circulation pattern over the past decade.

Methodology

  • The researchers collected nasal swabs from horses displaying respiratory signs suggestive of EIV infection. They also collected swabs from horses at a national race event who showed signs of high fever, gait stiffness, and dry cough.
  • The sample screening and testing involved the use of RT-qPCR, a type of molecular testing. The genes of interest were then amplified and sequenced for further analysis.

Results and Findings

  • Upon screening, only the samples collected from the race event came out to be positive for EIV infection, indicating a high viral load.
  • Sequencing the HA1 domain of the hemagglutinin gene revealed that two of the collected samples displayed identical nucleotide sequences, and the third had three synonymous mutations.
  • Phylogenetic analysis, which studies the evolutionary relationships between different species, grouped the collected sequences with recent FC2 sequences from Europe. This indicates a possible link or origin point for the EIV strain in the Egyptian samples.
  • Further analysis of the amino acid alignments revealed several differences when compared with the strains currently available in EIV vaccines in Egypt.

Conclusion and Implications

  • This study reports the first detection of the FC2-144V-related EIV in Arabian mares in Egypt, potentially the whole Middle East region.
  • The authors suggest a reconsideration of the vaccine strains used in national vaccination programs considering the new information about EIV epidemiology and spread.

Cite This Article

APA
Ahmed BM, Bayoumi MM, Farrag MA, Elgamal MA, Daly JM, Amer HM. (2022). Emergence of equine influenza virus H3Nx Florida clade 2 in Arabian racehorses in Egypt. Virol J, 19(1), 185. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12985-022-01917-9

Publication

Virology journal
ISSN: 1743-422X
NlmUniqueID: 101231645
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 19
Issue: 1
Pages: 185
PII: 185

Researcher Affiliations

Ahmed, Basem Mohamed
  • Department of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, 12211, Egypt.
Bayoumi, Mahmoud Mohamed
  • Department of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, 12211, Egypt.
  • Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YG, UK.
Farrag, Mohamed Ali
  • Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia.
Elgamal, Mahmoud Aly
  • Department of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, 12211, Egypt.
Daly, Janet Mary
  • One Virology, Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Research, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Leicestershire, LE12 5RD, UK.
Amer, Haitham Mohamed
  • Department of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, 12211, Egypt. hamoamer@cu.edu.eg.

MeSH Terms

  • Horses
  • Animals
  • Female
  • Influenza A Virus, H3N8 Subtype / genetics
  • Influenza A Virus, H7N7 Subtype
  • Egypt / epidemiology
  • Phylogeny
  • Horse Diseases
  • Chickens
  • Orthomyxoviridae Infections / epidemiology
  • Orthomyxoviridae Infections / veterinary
  • Orthomyxoviridae Infections / prevention & control
  • Hemagglutinins
  • Amino Acids / genetics

Conflict of Interest Statement

Authors declare that they have no competing interests. STIFA as a funding body had no impact on study design, results, or interpretations of the results.

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Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Pellegrini F, Buonavoglia A, Omar AH, Diakoudi G, Lucente MS, Odigie AE, Sposato A, Augelli R, Camero M, Decaro N, Elia G, Bányai K, Martella V, Lanave G. A Cold Case of Equine Influenza Disentangled with Nanopore Sequencing.. Animals (Basel) 2023 Mar 24;13(7).
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