Veterinary virologists share avian flu data.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Animals↗
Biomedical subjects
David Swayne
Publications and source records attributed to David Swayne.
Engineered viral vaccine constructs with dual specificity: avian influenza and Newcastle disease.
Avian influenza viruses of the H5 and H7 hemagglutinin subtypes, and Newcastle disease virus (NDV), are important pathogens in poultry worldwide. Specifically, the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus is a particular threat because it has now occurred in more than 40 countries on several continents. Inasmuch as most chickens worldwide are vaccinated with a live NDV vaccine, we embarked on the development of vaccine prototypes that would have dual specificity and would allow a single immunization against both avian influenza and Newcastle disease. Using reverse genetics, we constructed a chimeric avian influenza virus that expressed the ectodomain of the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase gene of NDV instead of the neuraminidase protein of the H5N1 avian influenza virus. Our second approach to creating a bivalent vaccine was based on expressing the ectodomain of an H7 avian influenza virus hemagglutinin in a fusogenic and attenuated NDV background. The insertion into the NDV genome of the foreign gene (containing only its ectodomain, with the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains derived from the F protein of NDV) resulted in a chimeric virus with enhanced incorporation of the foreign protein into virus particles. A single immunization of chickens with this improved vaccine prototype virus induced not only a 90% protection against an H7N7 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, but also complete immunity against a highly virulent NDV. We propose that chimeric constructs should be developed for convenient, affordable, and effective vaccination against avian influenza and Newcastle disease in chickens and other poultry.
Animals↗
Generation and characterization of a cold-adapted influenza A H9N2 reassortant as a live pandemic influenza virus vaccine candidate.
H9N2 subtype influenza A viruses have been identified in avian species worldwide and were isolated from humans in 1999, raising concerns about their pandemic potential and prompting the development of candidate vaccines to protect humans against this subtype of influenza A virus. Reassortant H1N1 and H3N2 human influenza A viruses with the internal genes of the influenza A/Ann Arbor/6/60 (H2N2) (AA) cold-adapted (ca) virus have proven to be attenuated and safe as live virus vaccines in humans. Using classical genetic reassortment, we generated a reassortant virus (G9/AA ca) that contains the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase genes from influenza A/chicken/Hong Kong/G9/97 (H9N2) (G9) and six internal gene segments from the AA ca virus. When administered intranasally, the reassortant virus was immunogenic and protected mice from subsequent challenge with wild-type H9N2 viruses, although it was restricted in replication in the respiratory tract of mice. The G9/AA ca virus bears properties that are desirable in a vaccine for humans and is available for clinical evaluation and use, should the need arise.
Adaptation, Physiological↗
Generation and evaluation of a high-growth reassortant H9N2 influenza A virus as a pandemic vaccine candidate.
H9N2 subtype avian influenza viruses (AIVs) are widely distributed in avian species and were isolated from humans in Hong Kong and Guangdong province, China in 1999 raising concern of their potential for pandemic spread. We generated a high-growth reassortant virus (G9/PR8) that contains the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes from the H9N2 avian influenza virus A/chicken/Hong Kong/G9/97 (G9) and six internal genes from A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (PR8) by genetic reassortment, for evaluation as a potential vaccine candidate in humans. Pathogenicity studies showed that the G9/PR8 reassortant was not highly pathogenic for mice or chickens. Two doses of a formalin-inactivated G9/PR8 virus vaccine induced hemagglutination inhibiting antibodies and conferred complete protection against challenge with G9 and the antigenically distinct H9N2 A/Hong Kong/1073/99 (G1-like) virus in a mouse model. These results indicate that the high growth G9/PR8 reassortant has properties that are desirable in a vaccine seed virus and is suitable for evaluation in humans for use in the event of an H9 pandemic.
Animals↗
Evaluation of a genetically modified reassortant H5N1 influenza A virus vaccine candidate generated by plasmid-based reverse genetics.
Avian influenza A H5N1 viruses similar to those that infected humans in Hong Kong in 1997 continue to circulate in waterfowl and have reemerged in poultry in the region, raising concerns that these viruses could reappear in humans. The currently licensed trivalent inactivated influenza vaccines contain hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase genes from epidemic strains in a background of internal genes derived from the vaccine donor strain, A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (PR8). Such reassortant candidate vaccine viruses are currently not licensed for the prevention of human infections by H5N1 influenza viruses. A transfectant H5N1/PR8 virus was generated by plasmid-based reverse genetics. The removal of the multibasic amino acid motif in the HA gene associated with high pathogenicity in chickens, and the new genotype of the H5N1/PR8 transfectant virus, attenuated the virus for chickens and mice without altering the antigenicity of the HA. A Formalin-inactivated vaccine prepared from this virus was immunogenic and protected mice from subsequent wild-type H5N1 virus challenge. This is the first successful attempt to develop an H5N1 vaccine seed virus resembling those used in currently licensed influenza A vaccines with properties that make it a promising candidate for further evaluation in humans.
Animals↗
Antigenic cross-reactivity among avian pneumoviruses of subgroups A, B, and C at the matrix but not nucleocapsid proteins.
Earlier findings from our laboratory based on analysis of nucleotide and predicted amino acid sequence identities of 15 avian pneumoviruses (APVs) isolated from the United States (subgroup C) demonstrated that the viruses were phylogenetically separated from the European subgroup A and subgroup B viruses. Here, we investigated whether viruses from the three subgroups were cross-reactive by testing field sera positive for each of the APV subgroups in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test with recombinant matrix (M) and nucleoprotein (N) proteins generated from a Minnesota APV isolate (APV/MN2A). Sera from turkeys infected with APV subgroup A, B, or C reacted with recombinant M protein derived from APV/MN2A. In contrast, recombinant N protein from APV/MN2A virus was reactive with sera from subtypes A and C viruses but not from subtype B virus. The results illustrate that viruses from the three APV subtypes share antigenic homology, and the M protein-based ELISA is adequate for monitoring APV outbreaks but not for distinguishing between different subtypes.
Animals↗