Comparison of the nucleoprotein genes of a chicken and a mink influenza A H 10 virus.

The base sequences of the coding region of the nucleoprotein (NP) genes of two H 10 influenza A viruses, one avian (virus N) and one mink virus, have been determined by primer extension. When the NP genes and the NP sequences derived from the only open reading frame of the two H 10 viruses were compared with those of other human and avian influenza A viruses, it turned out that the mink virus NP was highly related to that of other avian strains, but differed from that of the human strains. Comparison of the NP genes of the mink and avian strains of European origin suggests a direct lineage between them. Since the NP plays a major role in species specificity, it is assumed that an avian influenza virus has directly invaded the mink population.