Home ‹ African Swine Fever ‹ [Identity of virulence factors] To establish the identity of the virulence factors in ASFV that contribute to disease pathology
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Roadmap for the development of a candidate vaccine for ASF

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Identity of virulence factors

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Dependencies

Next steps

Identity of virulence factors

Research Question

  • Identifying and removal of the factors contributing to pathological changes are essential for generating rationally attenuated vaccines

Research Gaps and Challenges

  • Identify molecular differences in the pathogenesis process induced by virus with different degree of virulence
  • Identify determinant of virulence

Solution Routes

  • Swapping of suspected virulence genes between virulent and attenuated viruses
  • Generation of a range of knock-out viruses and their use in experimental infections to establish the impact of the changes on virulence

Dependencies

  • Improve understanding of virus macrophage interaction – viral and macrophage gene expression in different in vivo environments (macrophages from naïve and immune hosts)
  • Perform comparative studies of the response to mild and highly virulent strains
  • Identify primary site of viral replication
  • Identify viral receptors and co-receptors
  • Identify factors of persistence of infection (chronic infection)

State Of the Art

  • Terminal genomic regions and Multigene Family (MGF) genes play a significant role in ASFV host range. Large deletion of six MGF360 genes and two MGF530 genes significantly reduce viral replication in macrophages and the virus pathogenesis in swine
  • Deletion of either gene UK (DP96R) and 23-NL (DP71L or l14L), adjacently located in the genome although it does not affect viral growth in macrophages in vitro, does markedly attenuates the virus in swine

Projects

What activities are planned or underway?

Africa's Long Depression: The Growth and Debt Crises of 1975-2000

Planned Completion date 01/03/2027

Participating Country(s):

United KingdomIconUnited Kingdom

Mechanistic and Pathway Analysis of Animal Influenza Virus cross-species transmission by constructing genotype and phenotype networks

Planned Completion date 01/02/2028

Participating Country(s):

United KingdomIconUnited Kingdom