TY - JOUR T1 - Assessing the potential pandemic risk of recent avian influenza viruses JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J DO - 10.1183/13993003.02517-2016 VL - 49 IS - 3 SP - 1602517 AU - Ian G. Barr Y1 - 2017/03/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/49/3/1602517.abstract N2 - Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAI) of the influenza A, H5N1 subtype (the H refers to the type of haemagglutinin and the N refers to the type of neuraminidase) have circulated in various parts of Asia since 1996, infecting millions of birds and, occasionally, humans [1, 2]. Since 2014, a subclade of these viruses has further reassorted into what have been referred to as H5Nx viruses, owing to the variety of N genes that have successfully reassorted with this H5 haemagglutinin. These reassortants have spread in an unprecedented fashion over 60 countries [3], with H5N8 and H5N2 outbreaks in Europe and North America [4, 5] having caused major economic losses in the poultry industry. The H5N6 has replaced H5N1 as the dominant HPAI in Southern China, especially in ducks and geese [6]. The H5N6 virus appears to have low mortality in ducks and geese even though it was still 100% lethal in chickens [7] and has also occasionally infected humans in China, where 16 cases have been detected in the last 2 years, with 11 deaths (ages, 11–65 years; median age, 40 years) [8].It is essential to carefully monitor avian H5Nx influenza viruses as they continue to evolve http://ow.ly/B0QF308Zoqv ER -