Tunisia
Research Article
Novel Gene Mutations in Tunisian Isolate of Avian H9N2 Influenza Virus
Author(s): Rim Aouini, Nacira Laamiri and Abdeljelil GhramRim Aouini, Nacira Laamiri and Abdeljelil Ghram
A new strain of H9N2 avian influenza virus (AIV) was isolated from suspected broiler flocks and characterized using RT-PCR and sequencing techniques which have shown new interesting mutations as compared to previously characterized Tunisian strains of major clinical importance. Reverse transcription-PCR, nucleotide sequencing, and GenBank BLAST database analyses of external and internal genes of the virus demonstrated that the new isolate, designated A/CK/TUN/145/12, has the 333PSRSSR*GLF341 motif at the cleavage site of its hemagglutinin (HA), different from that described in the older Tunisian strains, which possess the motif 333PARSSR*GLF34, and others reported strains in the world. The presence of Leu at position 234 in the amino acid sequence of HA indicated the virus binding preference to the human cellular receptor α-2,6 sialic acid. Besides, such HA amino acid sequence s.. Read More»
DOI:
10.4172/2157-7579.1000405
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