Infection of South American coatis (Nasua nasua) with highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus displaying mammalian adaptive mutations

Deadly outbreaks among poultry, wild birds, and carnivorous mammals by the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus of the clade 2.3.4.4b have been reported in South America. The increasing virus incidence in various mammal species poses a severe zoonotic and pandemic threat. In Uruguay, the clade 2.3.4.4b viruses were first detected in February 2023, affecting wild birds and backyard poultry. Three months after the first reported case in Uruguay, the disease affected a population of 23 coatis (Nasua) in an ecological park. Most animals became infected, likely directly or indirectly from wild birds in the park, and experienced sudden death. Five animals from the colony survived, and four of them developed antibodies. The genomes of the H5N1 strains infecting coatis belonged to the B3.2 genotype of the clade 2.3.4.4b. Genomes from coatis were closely associated with those infecting backyard poultry, but transmission likely occurred through wild birds. Notable, two genomes have a 627K substitution in the RNA polymerase PB2 subunit, a hallmark amino acid linked to mammalian adaptation. Our findings support the ability of the avian influenza virus of the 2.3.4.4b clade to infect and transmit among terrestrial mammals with high pathogenicity and undergo rapid adaptive changes. It also highlights the coatis' ability to develop immunity and naturally clear the infection.