Genetic Characterization of Kazakhstan Isolates: Avian Influenza H9N2 Viruses Demonstrate Their Potential to Infect Mammals

Title (eng)
Genetic Characterization of Kazakhstan Isolates: Avian Influenza H9N2 Viruses Demonstrate Their Potential to Infect Mammals
Author
Barshagul Baikara
Research and Production Center for Microbiology and Virology, Almaty A26T6C0, Kazakhstan
Author
Klara Daulbayeva
Research and Production Center for Microbiology and Virology, Almaty A26T6C0, Kazakhstan
Author
Temirlan Sabyrzhan
Research and Production Center for Microbiology and Virology, Almaty A26T6C0, Kazakhstan
Author
Sardor Nuralibekov
Research and Production Center for Microbiology and Virology, Almaty A26T6C0, Kazakhstan
Author
Yelizaveta Khan
Research and Production Center for Microbiology and Virology, Almaty A26T6C0, Kazakhstan
Author
Nurlan Sandybayev
Kazakhstan-Japan Innovation Centre, Kazakh National Agrarian Research University (KazNARU), Almaty 050000, Kazakhstan
Author
Sasan Fereidouni
Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1160 Vienna, Austria
Author
Aidyn Kydyrmanov
Research and Production Center for Microbiology and Virology, Almaty A26T6C0, Kazakhstan
Author
Kobey Karamendin
Research and Production Center for Microbiology and Virology, Almaty A26T6C0, Kazakhstan
Author
Yermukhammet Kassymbekov
Research and Production Center for Microbiology and Virology, Almaty A26T6C0, Kazakhstan
Abstract (eng)
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.
Keywords (eng)
Influenza A VirusH9N2 SubtypeBirdGenomeVariabilityPhylogenesisHemagglutininAdaptionTransmission
Type (eng)
journal article
Language
[eng]
Persistent identifier
https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:4916
DOI
10.3390/v17050685
Is in series
Title (eng)
Viruses
Volume
17
Issue
5
ISSN
1999-4915
Issued
2025
Number of pages
15
Publication
MDPI
Version type (eng)
version of record (published version)
Date issued
2025
Access rights (eng)
open access
License
CC BY 4.0 International
Rights statement (eng)
© 2025 by the authors