H5N1 Hemagglutinin CpG Depletion in Mammalian Hosts: Evidence of Active Selection for Human-Adaptive Evolution

This dataset present empirical evidence of significant CpG dinucleotide depletion in the hemagglutinin (HA) gene of H5N1 influenza virus isolates from mammalian hosts compared to avian reservoirs.Analysis of 8,900+ HA sequences from 2024 reveals:A mean CpG odds ratio of 0.453 in mammalian isolates (n=4,436)A mean CpG odds ratio of 0.976 in avian isolates (n=4,581)Statistically robust difference (Mann - Whitney U test, p CpG depletion is a well-documented adaptive signature associated with evasion of ZAP-mediated innate immune restriction in mammalian cells which is a well known prerequisite for pandemic potential in influenza viruses.This open dataset supports early-warning surveillance frameworks for zoonotic respiratory threats.Study by: Tahir HB