Mass Mortality in Terns and Gulls Associated with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Viruses in Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan.

Mass mortality in Caspian terns (), Pallas's gulls (), and Caspian gulls () was recorded on the northeastern shores of the Caspian Sea in June 2022. More than 5000 gulls and terns died due to the outbreak. The outbreak was investigated in the field, and representative numbers of samples were collected and analyzed using pathological, virological, and molecular methods.

Reassortants of the Highly Pathogenic Influenza Virus A/H5N1 Causing Mass Swan Mortality in Kazakhstan from 2023 to 2024.

In the winter of 2023/2024, the mass death of swans was observed on Lake Karakol on the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea. From 21 December 2023 to 25 January 2024, 1132 swan corpses (, ) were collected and disposed of on the coast by veterinary services and ecologists. Biological samples were collected from 18 birds for analysis at different dates of the epizootic.

Has avian influenza virus H9 originated from a bat source?

Influenza A viruses are important pathogens that can cause diseases with high mortality in humans, animals, and birds; and wild birds are considered the primary reservoir of all subtypes in nature. After discovering the H9 influenza A viruses in bats, questions arose about their potential to serve as an additional natural reservoir and about the priority of the viral origin: Did the virus initially circulate in bats and then transmit to birds or vice versa? Influenza A viruses of the H9 subtype are of particular interest because fatal infections of humans caused by H5, H7, and H10 influenza viruses contained RNA segments from H9 viruses. Recently, a novel subtype of influenza A virus (H19) was reported and it was closely related to the H9 bat influenza A virus by its hemagglutinin structure.

Genome sequence of equine influenza virus isolated from horses in southeast Kazakhstan in 2020.

An influenza virus strain, A/equine/Almaty/268/2020, was isolated from horses in southeast Kazakhstan in 2020. Here, we present the nearly complete genome sequence of this epidemic strain. This study was aimed at obtaining the complete genome sequence of the isolate.

Evaluation of a novel real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for identifying H3 equine influenza virus in Kazakhstan.

Background And Aim: Equine influenza (EI) is a highly contagious disease that causes fever and upper respiratory tract inflammation. It is caused by influenza virus A, belonging to the family, with subtypes H3N8 and H7N7. This study presents data on the development of a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay using TaqMan probes to detect the H3 subtype of EI virus (EIV).

Genetic characterization of a new candidate hemagglutinin subtype of influenza A viruses.

Avian influenza viruses (AIV) have been classified on the basis of 16 subtypes of hemagglutinin (HA) and 9 subtypes of neuraminidase. Here we describe genomic evidence for a new candidate HA subtype, nominally H19, with a large genetic distance to all previously described AIV subtypes, derived from a cloacal swab sample of a Common Pochard () in Kazakhstan, in 2008. Avian influenza monitoring in wild birds especially in migratory hotspots such as central Asia is an important approach to gain information about the circulation of known and novel influenza viruses.

Detection and Phylogenetic Characterization of a Novel Adenovirus Found in Lesser Mouse-Eared Bat () in South Kazakhstan.

Bats are an important natural reservoir of various pathogenic microorganisms, and regular monitoring is necessary to track the situation of zoonotic infections. When examining samples from bats in South Kazakhstan, nucleotide sequences of putative novel bat adenovirus (AdV) species were found. Estimates of amino acid identities of the hexon protein have shown that potentially novel Bat mastadenovirus BatAdV-KZ01 shared higher similarity with monkey Rhesus adenovirus 59 (74.

Genome Sequence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus A/Chicken/North Kazakhstan/184/2020 (H5N8).

The influenza virus strain A/chicken/North Kazakhstan/184/2020 (H5N8) was isolated in North Kazakhstan during a highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak in 2020. This study aimed to obtain the complete genome sequence of the isolate.

Genome Sequence of the Attenuated Equid Alphaherpesvirus 1 Strain AK-2011, Isolated in Kazakhstan.

In 2011, there was an outbreak of a disease with mass abortions among horses in southeastern Kazakhstan. The AK-2011 strain was isolated from an aborted fetus and subsequently identified as equid alphaherpesvirus 1. Here, we describe the nearly complete genome sequence of the AK-2011 strain, attenuated for vaccine development.

Serological Screening for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus and Hepatitis E Virus in Camels in Kazakhstan.

After the recent Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) pandemic in 2013, more attention has been paid to the camel as an important source of zoonotic viral infections. Almost simultaneously, in 2013, new genotypes 7 and 8 of the hepatitis E virus (HEV) were discovered in dromedary and Bactrian camels, respectively. HEV 7 was further shown to be associated with chronic viral hepatitis in a transplant recipient.

Genome Sequence of Influenza B Epidemic Strain B/Almaty/8/2018.

An influenza virus strain, B/Almaty/8/2018, was isolated in Almaty (in southeastern Kazakhstan) during a human population surveillance study in 2018. Here, we present the nearly complete genome sequence of this epidemic strain, compared to the Yamagata-like and Victoria-like variants of the influenza B virus.

Development and Validation of a Pan-Genotypic Real-Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription-PCR Assay To Detect Canine Distemper Virus and Phocine Distemper Virus in Domestic Animals and Wildlife.

Canine distemper virus (CDV) is an animal morbillivirus belonging to the family and has caused major epizootics with high mortality levels in susceptible wildlife species. In recent years, the documented genetic diversity of CDV has expanded, with new genotypes identified in India, the Caspian Sea, and North America. However, no quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) that has been validated for the detection of all genotypes of CDV is currently available.

AK-2011 strain for the development of a vaccine against equine rhinopneumonitis.

Equine rhinopneumonitis is an acute, highly contagious disease found virtually worldwide. The purpose of the studies presented in this paper is to develop a technology for the manufacture of a cell-derived equine rhinopneumonitis vaccine, as well as to assess the safety and immunogenicity of the newly developed vaccine in laboratory animals model. The object of the studies was the AK-2011 strain isolated from the horses suffering from rhinopneumonitis during an outbreak of abortions.

Cormorants as a Potentially Important Reservoir and Carrier of Newcastle Disease Virus on the Asian Continent.

Despite numerous disease prevention measures and control programs, Newcastle disease (ND) remains one of the most significant infections in poultry worldwide, especially in developing countries. It is known that wild birds, mainly of the order, are the main carrier of lentogenic (non-pathogenic) variants of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) in nature. But the question of the reservoir of velogenic (highly pathogenic) NDV in nature still remains open.

High Mortality in Terns and Gulls Associated with Infection with the Novel Gull Adenovirus.

High mortality in Caspian Terns (Hydroprogne caspia) and Great Black-headed Gulls (Larus ichthyaetus), was recorded on the northeastern shores of the Caspian Sea in June 2013. Retrospective high throughput sequencing of archived tissue samples conducted in 2018 revealed the presence of the recently identified novel gull adenovirus similar to that associated with mortality in gulls in the Netherlands in 2001. We suggest that that this gull adenovirus specifically can be considered as an emerging threat to the health and conservation of gulls and terns.

A Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Influenza A Virus Isolated from a Flamingo on the Caspian Sea Shore.

In 2015, in the Kazakh part of the northern Caspian Sea region, during the monitoring of wild birds for avian influenza viruses, a highly pathogenic A/flamingo/Mangistau/6570/2015(H5N1) influenza virus was isolated from a dead flamingo. This study aimed to obtain the complete genome sequence of the isolate.

Evolution of Avian orthoavulavirus 16 in wild avifauna of Central Asia.

In 2014, a novel Avian orthoavulavirus 16 species was described among wild birds in Korea. In 2018, after massive parallel sequencing of archival strains of Avian orthoavulaviruses, isolated in 2006 in Central Kazakhstan, isolates belonging to this serotype were detected. The obtained data allowed to trace the evolution of this serotype in Asia and to reveal its evolutionary relationships with other subfamily species.

Cormorants as Potential Victims and Reservoirs of Velogenic Newcastle Disease Virus (Orthoavulavirus-1) in Central Asia.

Virulent strains of avian orthoavulavirus 1, historically known as Newcastle disease virus (NDV), are widespread and cause high levels of mortality in poultry worldwide. Wild birds may play an important role in the maintenance of in nature. Prior to 2014, most of the lentogenic NDV strains isolated from Central Asia were obtained from the avian order Anseriformes (ducks and geese).

Nearly Complete Genome Sequence of Human Influenza Virus Strain A/Almaty/6327/2014 (H1N1) from Central Asia.

An influenza virus strain, A/Almaty/6327/2014 (H1N1), was isolated in Almaty (in southeastern Kazakhstan) during a human population surveillance study in 2014. Here, we present the nearly complete genome sequence of this epidemic strain that was compared to the postpandemic variants of A(H1N1)pdm09.

The Canine Morbillivirus Strain Associated with An Epizootic in Caspian Seals Provides New Insights into the Evolutionary History of this Virus.

Canine morbillivirus (canine distemper virus; CDV) is a worldwide distributed morbillivirus that causes sporadic cases and recurrent epizootics among an increasing number of wild, feral, and domestic animal species. We investigated the evolutionary history of CDV strains involved in the 1988 Lake Baikal (CDVPS88) and the 2000 Caspian Sea (CDVPC00) seal die-offs by recovery of full-length sequences from archived material using next-generation sequencing. Bayesian phylogenetic analyses indicated that CDVPC00 constitutes a novel strain in a separate clade (tentatively termed "Caspian") from the America-1 clade, which is comprised of older vaccine strains.

Mass Die-Off of Saiga Antelopes, Kazakhstan, 2015.

In 2015, a mass die-off of ≈200,000 saiga antelopes in central Kazakhstan was caused by hemorrhagic septicemia attributable to the bacterium Pasteurella multocida serotype B. Previous analyses have indicated that environmental triggers associated with weather conditions, specifically air moisture and temperature in the region of the saiga antelope calving during the 10-day period running up to the event, were critical to the proliferation of latent bacteria and were comparable to conditions accompanying historically similar die-offs in the same areas. We investigated whether additional viral or bacterial pathogens could be detected in samples from affected animals using 3 different high-throughput sequencing approaches.

Near-Complete Genome Sequence of Avian Influenza Virus Strain A/mallard/Balkhash/6304/2014 (H1N1) from Kazakhstan.

An avian influenza virus strain, A/mallard/Balkhash/6304/2014 (H1N1), was isolated during a wild bird monitoring study in Kazakhstan in 2014. The virus was isolated from a wild mallard duck () in eastern Kazakhstan. Here, we present the near-complete genome sequence of the virus.

[Molecular-genetic characterization of Avian avulavirus 20 strains isolated from wild birds.].

Introduction: Previously unknown paramyxovirus strains were isolated from wild birds in 2013-2014 in Kazakhstan and subsequently identified as representatives of the novel Avian avulavirus 20 species. The aims and tasks were molecular genetic characterization of novel avulaviruses and investigation of their phylogenetic relationships.

Material And Methods: Embryonated chicken eggs were inoculated with cloacal and tracheal swabs from wild birds with subsequent virus isolation.