Peste des Petits Ruminants Virus, Mauritania

were positive for the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase genes of avian influenza A (H7N9) virus.Of 6 environmental samples, 5 were positive for (H7N9) virus HA genes.No (H7N9) virus HA antibodies were detected from paired serum samples from all 18 close contacts.Two virus strains were isolated: 1 from a patient specimen (A/Zhenjiang/1/2013) and 1 from a chicken cage specimen (A/environment/ Zhenjiang/4/2013) (GenBank accession nos.KF007057-KF007064 and KF007009-KF007016, respectively).Genome comparison showed that isolates had a nucleotide identity of 96.8%-99.8%,indicating an amino acid identity of 98 • 2%-99 • 6%.Phylogenetic analysis showed that 5 genes (HA, nucleoprotein, neuraminidase, matrix, and nonstructural protein) of the 2 isolates belonged to the same clade.However, the 3 polymerase genes (polymerase basic 1, polymerase basic 2, and polymerase acidic) clustered in a different clade.These results suggested that the 2 strains originated from an independent reassortment mechanism and that the H7N9 subtype viruses had undergone genetic reassortment to generate multiple novel genotypes in China.According to epidemiologic and clinical data for infections with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus, most patients with severe illness, including severe pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome, were elderly men with underlying medical conditions (2,3).Our findings suggest that pregnancy might be a risk factor for clinically severe influenza in young women infected with H7N9 subtype virus.M.-h.Z. and H.W. were partially supported by the Innovation Platform for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (NO.ZX201109); X.Q.