Location: Exotic & Emerging Avian Viral Diseases Research
Project Number: 6040-32000-081-040-I
Project Type: Interagency Reimbursable Agreement
Start Date: Sep 30, 2024
End Date: Sep 29, 2029
Objective:
The objective of this Inter-agency Reimbursable Agreement (IRA) is to assess the pathogenicity and infectivity of recent variant influenza A viruses in avian species. Data will include the pathology, infectivity, and antigenic analysis of avian species to the target influenza virus isolate.
Approach:
To accomplish this objective a multi-disciplinary approach will be taken. First avian influenza isolates will be selected based on potential risk to animal and /or public health. Criteria will include, but are not limited to, isolates which have a variant genome, prevalence, isolated from a new or unexpected species, and subtype. The focus will be on lineages present in, or which may be a threat to North America. The genome sequences of the target isolates will be obtained, if needed, and the antigenic reactivity will be determined by hemagglutination inhibition assay and antigenic cartography. Pathogenesis studies will then be conducted with selected isolates in avian species to characterize infectious dose, relative transmissibility, disease, and virus shed quantities and duration. Host species will be used that are relevant to the known ecology of the selected isolates and which species may serve as reservoirs or which may be most impacted by infection. Finally, the pathobiology and antigenic data will be compiled to identify candidate vaccine strains (e.g., isolates with good immunogenicity, broad antigenic reactivity, and high or increasing prevalence in the field). These data will be compared with historical vaccine efficacy data to determine correlates of protection among antigenic variants and a final subset will be tested in vaccine-challenge studies.
