Character of apathogenic influenza a viruses found in Moscow, Russia

An influenza virus A/gull/Moscow/3100/2006 (H6N2) was isolated from gull’ faeces within the precincts of Moscow in autumn 2006. Nucleotide sequence of complete genome (GenBank, EU152234-EU152241) and genotype (K, G, D, 6B, F, 2D, F, 1E) for this virus were determined. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that the H6N2 virus derived by numerous reassortment between viruses, which have been circulating among different birds in Europe since 1999 and in South-East Asia (NA gene) for last years. Some of these viruses probably were introduced by migratory birds from South-East Asia earlier. The strain A/gull/Moscow/3100/2006 is nonpathogenic for chicken embryos and mice and induces specific antibody production in mice. Similar to all avian influenza viruses A/gull/Moscow/3100/2006 binds to Neu5Acα2–3Gal receptors but reveals higher affinity for fucosylated sialosugars (SLex) in contrast to the duck viruses, as was shown in receptor specificity assay and clarified due to modeling the accommodation of SLex into receptor binding site of duck and gull influenza virus hemagglutinin.