Wenshan Hong

TL;DR: It is shown that H7 viruses probably transferred from domestic duck to chicken populations in China on at least two independent occasions and subsequently reassorted with enzootic H9N2 viruses to generate the H7N9 outbreak lineage, and a related previously unrecognized H7n7 lineage.

TL;DR: A ferret model was used to evaluate the infectivity and transmissibility of A/Shanghai/2/2013 (SH2), a human H7N9 virus isolate, which showed limited capacity for airborne infectivity but efficiently transmitted between ferrets via direct contact, but less efficiently by airborne exposure.

TL;DR: It is shown that H7N9 viruses have spread from eastern to southern China and become persistent in chickens, which has led to the establishment of multiple regionally distinct lineages with different reassortant genotypes.

TL;DR: It is suggested that domestic ducks can facilitate significant genetic and antigenic changes in viruses established in this host and highlight gaps in the knowledge of influenza virus ecology and even the evolutionary behavior of this virus family in its aquatic avian reservoirs.

TL;DR: The emergence of the H10N8 virus, following a pathway similar to that of the recent H7N9 virus, highlights the role of domestic ducks and the current influenza ecosystem in China that facilitates influenza viruses moving from their reservoir hosts through the live-poultry system to cause severe consequences for public health.