Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Emergence and Persistent Circulation of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus A(H5N8) in Kosovo, May 2021–May 2022

Armend Cana
* ,
Bianca Zecchin
ORCID logo ,
Xhavit Merovci
,
Alice Fusaro
ORCID logo ,
Edoardo Giussani
ORCID logo ,
Sadik Heta
,
Kiril Krstevski
,
Dafina Mehmetukaj
,
Izedin Goga
,
Beqë Hulaj
,
Bafti Murati
,
Calogero Terregino
,
Aleksandar Dodovski
ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 22 August 2023 / Approved: 22 August 2023 / Online: 22 August 2023 (12:59:41 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Cana, A.; Zecchin, B.; Merovci, X.; Fusaro, A.; Giussani, E.; Heta, S.; Krstevski, K.; Mehmetukaj, D.; Goga, I.; Hulaj, B.; Murati, B.; Terregino, C.; Dodovski, A. Emergence and Persistent Circulation of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus A (H5N8) in Kosovo, May 2021–May 2022. Microorganisms 2023, 11, 2226. Cana, A.; Zecchin, B.; Merovci, X.; Fusaro, A.; Giussani, E.; Heta, S.; Krstevski, K.; Mehmetukaj, D.; Goga, I.; Hulaj, B.; Murati, B.; Terregino, C.; Dodovski, A. Emergence and Persistent Circulation of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus A (H5N8) in Kosovo, May 2021–May 2022. Microorganisms 2023, 11, 2226.

Abstract

In this study, we report the first outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A H5N8, clade 2.3.4.4b in Kosovo on May 19, 2021. The outbreak consisted of three temporal phases: May–June 2021, September–November 2021, and January–May 2022. In total, 32 backyard and 10 commercial holdings tested positive for the virus, affecting 179,198 poultry. Interestingly, the third and last phase of the outbreak coincided with the massive H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b epidemic in Europe. Phylogenetic analyses of 28 viral strains from Kosovo revealed that they were closely related to the H5N8 clade 2.3.4.4.b viruses that have been circulating in Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, and Russia in early 2021. Whole genome sequencing of the 25 and partial sequencing of 3 H5N8 viruses from Kosovo showed high nucleotide identity, forming a distinctive cluster and suggesting a single introduction. The results of the network analysis were in accordance with the three epidemic waves and suggested that the viral diffusion could have been caused by secondary spreads among farms and/or different introductions of the same virus from wild birds. The persistent circulation of the same virus over a one-year period highlights the potential risk of the virus becoming endemic, especially in settings with non-adequate biosecurity.

Keywords

highly pathogenic avian influenza A H5N8; clade 2.3.4.4b; Kosovo; domestic poultry; phylogenetic network analysis; viruses; persistent circulation

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Animal Science, Veterinary Science and Zoology

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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