First record of avian influenza (H5n1)‎ in migratory birds in Egypt

Abstract EN

During migratory seasons (2005-2006), a total of 1304 living migratory birds belonging to19 different species were collected from Port Said, Domietta, Fayoum, Arish and Sharm-Elsheikh.

All examined birds were apparently healthy.

A total of 203 (15.57 %) from examined birds were positive for influenza A virus matrix gene when tested by real-time PCR.

Duck species were the most common affected species.

Positive samples for Flu-A matrix were tested for hemagglutinine (H) and if positive for H5, further testing for the neuraminidase (N1) by real time RT-PCR.

Only two cases of Common teal species were PCR positive and the sequence from both bird samples were performed and posted on the Gen Bank as follow : Low pathogenic avian influenza "LPAI", (A / teal / Egypt / 9885-NAMRU 3 / 2005 (H5) Gen Bank accession no.

EF04262 and the highly pathogenic avian influenza ,("HPAI "H5N1) (3 / 2005 A / teal / Egypt / 14051-NAMRU (H5N1), Gen Bank accession no.

EF042624.

Phylogenetic Analysis from highly pathogenic avian influenza strains in Egypt, from humans and animals, cluster together with a bootstrap support value of 98 % (Figure, 2).

The HPAI specimen EF042624 from Common teal along the northern coast of Egypt appears to have harbored a strain very closely related to the parent strain responsible for the HPAI H5N1 outbreak in Egypt in February 2006.