Common theme among H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b infected Cats:
- Present multiple symptoms almost immediately
- Neurologic, Respiratory, rapid decline leading to death
(or compassionate euthanasia)
- Pick PB2 mammalian adaptations
1/n
French Cat (2022)
Phylogenetic analysis linked the infection closely to virus circulating in the neighboring duck farm, with minor genetic differences.
Key mutations: PB2 E627K & NS: E26G
Again, rapid selection of mammalian adaptation mutation
2/n
Polish Cats (2023)
First widespread H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b infection across a wide geographic area within a country
A total of 1509 sequences were submitted with specimen collection dates on or after 03/16/2024 (of which 69 (~4.6%) were collected via airport surveillance)
2/n
It's getting difficult to separate GBW airport vs baseline screening
#30DayTrends GBW uploaded 275 sequences
out of which 69 airport seqs & 206 baseline surveillance seqs
Here is a detailed account of their surveillance efforts