Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of influenza A virus infections globally in both humans and animals. Recently, the worldwide spread of HPAIV H5 has been of particular concern, involving a large number of domestic and wild avian species and with recent reports of infections in mammals and wild animals. In 2009, there was a new influenza pandemic from a virus of swine origin, and since 2013, there have been several cases of HP and LPAIV H7N9 viruses in poultry, with subsequent transmission to humans in China. Swine influenza viruses are also of great concern due to the frequent occurrence of reassortment events and the high antigenic and genetic variability of the circulating strains, with negative implications for both the pig industry and public health. The ecology of influenza A viruses is very complex and involves a wide range of avian and mammalian host species. Influenza viruses have high mutation rates and are constantly evolving, allowing the virus to adapt rapidly to changes in the host environment, thus crossing the species barrier and leading to the emergence of new viruses with a pandemic potential.

Other influenza B, C and D viruses are also to be considered, and their importance should not be underestimated. Influenza D viruses, discovered only in 2011, were found to be present in cattle, but their ability to infect other species, including humans, is not yet well understood.

The aim of this second volume of the Special Issue is to provide a complete overview of all aspects relating to animal influenza viruses, such as the ecology of infection, epidemiology and populations at risk, pathogenesis, diagnosis, genetic and antigenic characterization of circulating viruses, phylogenetic analyses, and reassortment and spillover events. Human cases of animal influenza viruses are encouraged, and research papers, review articles and short communications are invited.

Dr. Ana Moreno
Dr. Chiara Chiapponi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• animal influenza viruses
• human infections
• animal infections
• epidemiology
• pathogenesis
• genetic characterization
• antigenic characterization
• reassortment events
• spillover