Location: Virus and Prion Research
Project Number: 5030-32000-231-110-I
Project Type: Interagency Reimbursable Agreement
Start Date: Sep 25, 2024
End Date: Sep 24, 2029
Objective:
The purpose of this Interagency Agreement (IAA) is to study influenza A viruses (IAV) in swine hosts. The studies will include computational and laboratory analyses of the swine host response to influenza A virus infection. The work will quantify pathology, transmissibility, and/or antibody response to swine and seasonal influenza viruses and/or candidate vaccine virus (CVV) infections.
Approach:
Swine hosts represent a significant reservoir for novel and emerging influenza A viruses that are genetically and antigenically different from those that circulate in humans. We propose using virus samples collected from existing surveillance networks within state, federal, and academic institutions to perform in silico (computational analyses) and in vitro characterization of swine influenza A viruses that are submitted to the ARS as an extension of these existing surveillance networks.
Technology developed by cooperator for mobile sequencing platforms will be adapted for full genome genetic characterization of viruses directly from RNA extracted from swine influenza virus samples. We will develop computational approaches to genetically characterize influenza A viruses in swine, and objectively rank the zoonotic risk of these viruses as an approach to prioritize viruses for assessment of antigenic relatedness to vaccines and their pandemic potential. Some genetically characterized viruses will be tested in the swine model developed by ARS to study their pathology and transmissibility in pigs.
