Prof. Chen Hualan and her team at the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute of CAAS found that the highly pathogenic viruses H7N9 evolved rapidly into multiple genotypes by deriving genes from other chicken and duck viruses, enabling certain strains to become highly lethal in mice and ducks. The application of an H5/H7 bivalent vaccine in poultry can successfully prevent the spread of the viruses in poultry and humans. The study titled "Rapid evolution of H7N9 highly pathogenic viruses emerged in 2017 in China" was published in Cell Host & Microbe.

Evolution and virulence in ducks of H7N9 highly pathogenic influenza viruses