Low pathogenic H9N2 avian influenza viruses have become widespread in wild birds and poultry worldwide, raising concerns about their potential to spark pandemics or their role in enhancing the virulence and infectivity of H5Nx viruses through genetic reassortment. Therefore, influenza monitoring studies, including those of H9N2 viruses, are crucial for understanding, evaluating, and mitigating the risks associated with avian infections, and have broader implications for global public health. Although H9N2 viruses are not considered enzootic in Kazakhstan, they have been repeatedly detected in wild waterfowls and domestic poultry. In this study, all eight gene segments of influenza A/H9N2 viruses isolated in various regions of Kazakhstan between 2014 and 2020 were sequenced and analyzed. Molecular characterization revealed the presence of genetic markers associated with mammalian infectivity and disease potential. Furthermore, their predicted receptor binding site sequences indicate their potential capacity to attach to human-type receptors. These findings highlight the importance of continued surveillance and molecular investigation to better understand the evolution and zoonotic potential of H9N2 viruses in Kazakhstan. Text Wissenschaftlicher Artikel MDPI http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Open Access © 2025 by the authors open access doi:10.3390/v17050685 2025 Viruses Genetic Characterization of Kazakhstan Isolates: Avian Influenza H9N2 Viruses Demonstrate Their Potential to Infect Mammals application/pdf eng Testo Articolo di rivista Text journal article Influenza A Virus H9N2 Subtype Bird Genome Variability Phylogenesis Hemagglutinin Adaption Transmission Barshagul Baikara (Research and Production Center for Microbiology and Virology, Almaty A26T6C0, Kazakhstan) Klara Daulbayeva (Research and Production Center for Microbiology and Virology, Almaty A26T6C0, Kazakhstan) Temirlan Sabyrzhan (Research and Production Center for Microbiology and Virology, Almaty A26T6C0, Kazakhstan) Sardor Nuralibekov (Research and Production Center for Microbiology and Virology, Almaty A26T6C0, Kazakhstan) Yelizaveta Khan (Research and Production Center for Microbiology and Virology, Almaty A26T6C0, Kazakhstan) Nurlan Sandybayev (Kazakhstan-Japan Innovation Centre, Kazakh National Agrarian Research University (KazNARU), Almaty 050000, Kazakhstan) Sasan Fereidouni (Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1160 Vienna, Austria) Aidyn Kydyrmanov (Research and Production Center for Microbiology and Virology, Almaty A26T6C0, Kazakhstan) Kobey Karamendin (Research and Production Center for Microbiology and Virology, Almaty A26T6C0, Kazakhstan) Yermukhammet Kassymbekov (Research and Production Center for Microbiology and Virology, Almaty A26T6C0, Kazakhstan) https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:4916