| Autor: |
Cana A; Kosovo Food and Veterinary Agency, Industrial Zone, 10 000 Prishtina, Kosovo.; UBT-Higher Education Institution, Lagjja Kalabria, 10 000 Prishtina, Kosovo., Zecchin B; Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Delle Venezie (IZSVe), 35020 Legnaro, Italy., Merovci X; Kosovo Food and Veterinary Agency, Industrial Zone, 10 000 Prishtina, Kosovo., Fusaro A; Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Delle Venezie (IZSVe), 35020 Legnaro, Italy., Giussani E; Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Delle Venezie (IZSVe), 35020 Legnaro, Italy., Heta S; Kosovo Food and Veterinary Agency, Industrial Zone, 10 000 Prishtina, Kosovo., Krstevski K; Veterinary Institute, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Skopje, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Lazar Pop Trajkov 5-7, MK-1000 Skopje, North Macedonia., Mehmetukaj D; Kosovo Food and Veterinary Agency, Industrial Zone, 10 000 Prishtina, Kosovo., Goga I; Agricultural and Veterinary Faculty, University of Prishtina, Bulevardi Bill Clinton, 10 000 Prishtina, Kosovo., Hulaj B; Kosovo Food and Veterinary Agency, Industrial Zone, 10 000 Prishtina, Kosovo., Murati B; Kosovo Food and Veterinary Agency, Industrial Zone, 10 000 Prishtina, Kosovo., Terregino C; Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Delle Venezie (IZSVe), 35020 Legnaro, Italy., Dodovski A; Veterinary Institute, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Skopje, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Lazar Pop Trajkov 5-7, MK-1000 Skopje, North Macedonia. |
| Abstrakt: |
In this study, we report the first outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A H5N8, clade 2.3.4.4b in Kosovo on 19 May 2021. The outbreak consisted of three phases: May-June 2021, September-November 2021, and January-May 2022. In total, 32 backyards and 10 commercial holdings tested positive for the virus. Interestingly, the third and last phase of the outbreak coincided with the massive H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b epidemic in Europe. Phylogenetic analyses of 28 viral strains from Kosovo revealed that they were closely related to the H5N8 clade 2.3.4.4.b viruses that had been circulating in Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, and Russia in early 2021. Whole genome sequencing of the 25 and partial sequencing of three H5N8 viruses from Kosovo showed high nucleotide identity, forming a distinctive cluster and suggesting a single introduction. The results of the network analysis were in accordance with the three epidemic waves and suggested that the viral diffusion could have been caused by secondary spreads among farms and/or different introductions of the same virus from wild birds. The persistent circulation of the same virus over a one-year period highlights the potential risk of the virus becoming endemic, especially in settings with non-adequate biosecurity. |
