Location: Research Programs
Project Number: 3022-32000-018-036-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2023
End Date: Dec 31, 2024
Objective:
Evaluate the ability for ASFV vaccine ASFV-G-DeltaI177L to induce cross protection against other strains of ASFV. This study will establish patterns of cross-protection induced by the ASF vaccine ASFV-G-delta177L against current African filed isolates belonging to different genotypes.The expected results will have high significance in understanding protective mechanism induced by other live attenuated ASFV vaccines.
Approach:
Recombinant ASFV-G-DeltaI177L is a rationally developed ASFV live attenuated vaccine that have recently approved for commercial production by the government of Vietnam. ASFV-G-DeltaI177L is a live attenuated virus developed by genetical manipulation of the highly virulent ASFV Georgia 2010 (ASFV-G) isolate (genotype II). ASFV-G-DeltaI177L has been shown to be safe and efficacious in inducing solid protection against the virulent parental virus ASFV-G as well as another derivative virus isolated in Vietnam in 2019. Lack of cross-protection among different strains of ASFV have been always a general accepted issue but was never systematically analyzed. The purpose of this project is to analyze the pattern of cross-protection induced by the ASFV-G-DeltaI177L vaccine against four field isolates and that are currently causing disease in Africa /Kenya. Five groups of animals will be vaccinated with ASFV-G-DeltaI177L and 3-4 weeks later will be challenged with one of the four African isolates. As a positive control, one additional group will be challenge with ASFV-G strain. Mock vaccinated control groups will be also included which will be challenged with one of the five ASFV isolates. Presence of protection in each of the groups will be monitored along 3 weeks after the challenge. Virological and immunological parameters will be also evaluated in the vaccinated/challenged animals to support the analysis of presence/absence of protection after challenge.
