Biology subjects

Lenoch, J. B.

Publications and source records attributed to Lenoch, J. B..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

Outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 in New England Seals

The recent incursion of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A (H5N1) virus into North America and subsequent dissemination of virus across the continent, has had significant adverse impacts on domestic poultry, and has led to widespread mortality in many wild bird species. Here we report the recent spillover of H5N1 into marine mammals in the northeastern United States, with associated mortality on a regional scale. This spillover is coincident with a second wave of H5N1 in sympatric wild birds also experiencing regional mortality events. Viral sequences derived from both seal and avian hosts reveal distinct viral genetic differences between the two waves of infection. Spillover into seals was closely related to virus from the second wave, and one of eight seal-derived sequences had the mammalian adaptation PB2 E627K. One-Sentence SummaryAn outbreak of H5N1 in New England seals is the first known population-scale mammalian mortality event associated with the emerging highly pathogenic avian influenza clade 2.3.4.4b.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Intercontinental movement of H5 2.3.4.4 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) to the United States, 2021

Eurasian-origin highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) belonging to the Gs/GD lineage, clade 2.3.4.4b, was detected in two Atlantic states in wild waterfowl in the United States in January 2022. Bird banding data show widespread movement of waterfowl both within the Atlantic Flyway and between neighboring flyways and northern breeding grounds.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2021

SARS-CoV-2 exposure in wild white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Widespread human SARS-CoV-2 infections combined with human-wildlife interactions create the potential for reverse zoonosis from humans to wildlife. We targeted white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) for serosurveillance based on evidence these deer have ACE2 receptors with high affinity for SARS-CoV-2, are permissive to infection, exhibit sustained viral shedding, can transmit to conspecifics, and can be abundant near urban centers. We evaluated 624 pre- and post-pandemic serum samples from wild deer from four U.S. states for SARS-CoV-2 exposure. Antibodies were detected in 152 samples (40%) from 2021 using a surrogate virus neutralization test. A subset of samples was tested using a SARS-CoV-2 virus neutralization test with high concordance between tests. These data suggest white-tailed deer in the populations assessed have been exposed to SARS-CoV-2. One-Sentence SummaryAntibodies to SARS-CoV-2 were detected in 40% of wild white-tailed deer sampled from four U.S. states in 2021.

microbiology↗