Molecular characterization of H9N2 influenza viruses: Were they the donorsof the "internal" genes of H5N1 viruses in Hong Kong?

The origin of the H5N1 influenza viruses that killed six of eighteen infect ed humans in 1997 and were highly pathogenic in chickens has not been resol ved. These H5N1 viruses transmitted directly to humans from infected poultr y. In the poultry markets in Hong song, both H5N1 and H9N2 influenza viruse s were cocirculating, raising the possibility of genetic reassortment, Here we analyze the antigenic and genetic features of H9N2 influenza viruses wi th different epidemiological backgrounds, The results suggest that the H9N2 influenza viruses of domestic ducks have become established in the domesti c poultry of Asia, Phylogenetic and antigenic analyses of the H9N2 viruses isolated from Hong Kong markets suggest three distinct sublineages, Among t he chicken H9N2 viruses, six of the gene segments were apparently derived f rom an earlier chicken H9N2 virus isolated in China, whereas the PB1 and PB 2 genes are closely related to those of the H5N1 viruses and a quail H9N2 v irus-A/quail/Hong Kong/G1/97 (Qa/HK/G1/97)-suggesting that many of the 1997 chicken H9 isolates in the markets were reassortants, The similarity of th e internal genes of Qa/HK/G1/97 virus to those of the H5N1 influenza viruse s suggests that the quail virus may have been the internal gene donor. Our findings indicate that the human and poultry H5N1 influenza viruses in Hong Kong in 1997 were reassortants that obtained internal gene segments from Q a/HK/G1/97, However, we cannot be certain whether the replicate complex of H5N1 originated from Qa/HEC/G1/97 or whether the reverse transfer occurred; the available evidence supports the former proposal.