Location: Foreign Animal Disease Research
Project Number: 3022-32000-064-020-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jul 1, 2021
End Date: Jun 30, 2025
Objective:
The immune-response to Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus (FMDV) infection is poorly characterized in small ruminants. Collaborator at CISA-INIA have extensive experience in working ovine studying immuno-response to different viral diseases.
CISA-INIA will perform all experimental studies and data collection and ARS, PIADC will participate in study design, data analysis and report results.
Specific objectives:
1. Assess FMD humoral and cellular immune-response in sheep.
2. Study susceptibility of FMD in bluetogue or peste des petits ruminant convalescence sheep.
Approach:
Sheep will be initially infected with Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus (FMDV) using routes that have been previously characterized. Blood, serum and nasal swab samples will be collected after inoculation and analyzed for virus progression, humoral response and cytokine profile. Purification of peripheral blood monocyte cells (PBMCs) will be isolated from whole blood to study innate and adaptive cellular immune response.
In a second animal study, sheep will be staggered inoculated with bluetongue or peste des petits ruminant viruses and FMDV and study susceptibility to FMDV and immuno-response induced by the viral infections.
