Clade 2.3.2 Avian Influenza Virus (H5N1), Qinghai Lake Region, China, 2009–2010

摘要

To the Editor: In 2005, a large population of wild migratory birds was infected with highly pathogenic avian in. uenza (HPAI) virus (H5N1) in the Qinghai Lake region of western People's Republic of China, resulting in the death of ≈10,000 birds (1,2). On the basis of phylogenetic analysis of the hemagglutinin (HA) gene, the virus was classifi ed as clade 2.2 according to the World Health Organization guidelines. Subsequently, viruses from this clade were found in Mongolia, Russia, Europe, and Africa along the migratory . yways of birds (3,4). This unique distribution of the same clade of HPAI virus (H5N1) through different migratory routes indicates that migratory birds might play a global role in virus dissemination (3,4)