U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Exotic & Emerging Avian Viral Diseases Research: Athens, GA
 close



    Research

                    Research Projects
                                    Publications
                                    Collaborations
                                    News
                People

                    Staff Listing
                                    Careers


        


                    USNPRC
                        Richard B Russell Center
                                    Southeast Poultry Research Center
                                    Return to USNPRC home page
                    Research Units at USNPRC
                        Quality and Safety Assessment Research
                                    Poultry Microbiological Safety and Processing Research
                                    Toxicology and Mycotoxin Research
                                    Egg and Poultry Production Safety Research Unit
                                    Exotic and Emerging Avian Viral Diseases
                                    Endemic Poultry Viral Diseases Research
                                    Avian Diseases and Oncology Research
                                    Return to USNPRC home pageSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Southeast Area Athens, Georgia U.S. National Poultry Research Center Exotic & Emerging Avian Viral Diseases Research Research





- Spackman, Erica
- Kapczynski, Darrell
- Suarez, David
- Lee, Chang
- 2023
- 2022
- Publications
- Animal Health (103)

Research Project: **Location:
                            Exotic & Emerging Avian Viral Diseases Research** Project Number: 6040-32000-081-000-D
                        
                        Project Type: In-House Appropriated Start Date: Oct 1, 2021
                        
                        End Date: Sep 30, 2026 **Objective:**
                        
                        1. Characterize the ecology, epidemiology, and pathogenesis of emerging avian influenza viruses with a focus on the One-Health concept.
1.A. Characterize the pathogenesis of new and variant avian influenza virus (AIV) isolates and determine quantifiable species-specific transmission parameters of AIVs for modeling and outbreak preparedness.
1.B. Conduct the molecular characterization of new and variant AIVs including phylogenetics, and network analysis.
1.C. Examine novel or emerging viruses that may have an impact on poultry health or where poultry pathogens affect public health.
1.D. Assess the inter- and intra-species transmission dynamics of LPAI viruses, which will also contribute to investigating mechanisms and pathways of intra-host virus evolution.
1.E. Investigate determinants of virulence and mechanism behind increased pathology seen with some LPAI virus subtypes.

2. Elucidate the host-pathogen interactions of avian influenza virus infections. 
2.A. Investigate virus-specific factors and viral molecular markers associated with infectivity, pathogenicity, and transmissibility of influenza viruses in avian species including virus tissue tropism and replication.
2.B. Investigate host-specific factors associated with the infectivity, pathogenicity, and transmissibility in different avian species of current and emerging influenza viruses including species, breed, age, and physiological state of the bird, and concomitant infections.
2.C. Characterize the innate and adaptive immune response to avian influenza virus infection in different avian models that are either susceptible, tolerant, or resistant to infection.

3. Develop intervention strategies to effectively control avian influenza viruses and contain disease outbreaks.
3.A. Improve virus control and recovery strategies by producing data on the environmental ecology of AIV.
3.B. Evaluate and improve existing and new diagnostic tests and testing strategies for avian influenza virus surveillance, detection, and recovery from disease outbreaks.
3.C.1. Evaluate existing or develop new vaccine platforms and strategies designed to rapidly control and prevent avian influenza virus outbreaks in the various components of poultry production.
3.C.2 Investigate the impact of immunosuppressive viruses on the efficacy of AIV vaccines in chickens.
3.D. Characterize the effect of vaccine induced immunity on virus evolution.
3.E. Utilize precision engineering of the chicken genome to develop genome edited poultry with increased resistance to avian influenza virus.
3.F. Identify correlates of vaccine protection in avian species, including different breeds and ages.
3.G. Determine mechanisms and immune-system-wide effects of vaccines with rapid onset of broadly protective immunity.
3.H. Determine the role of vaccines in driving escape mutations and how to prevent them. **Approach:**
                        
                        These objectives include a combination of basic and applied research that will generate knowledge and help develop tools to improve our ability to prevent and control avian influenza virus (AIV). These research goals are highly interrelated and will be accomplished with similar tools and approaches (Figure 1); thus, experiments will often contribute to more than one objective. The first objective includes the characterization of new strains of AIV and other viruses, which constantly emerge in nature. The second objective complements the first with a more in-depth focus on the specific viral and host factors that contribute to host adaptation, transmission, and virulence. The third objective will improve current practical intervention strategies including diagnostics, vaccines, development of AIV resistant poultry, and will enhance our understanding of the ecology of AIV in poultry.
For objectives 1 and 3: Utilizing sequencing in vitro and in vivo models, low pathogenic avian influenza virus (LPAIV) will be tested to identify how host range is determined and markers for virus pathogenicity identified. Multiple types of immune system models and reagents with in vitro models and in vivo models will be used to characterize the immune response to LPAIV viral infection and vaccines.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov