African Swine Fever roadmap:
Vaccines
Roadmap for the development of a candidate vaccine for ASF
Download ASF Vaccine Roadmap19
Pathogen genome
Next steps
Pathogen genome
Research Question
- There are a range of viruses’ strains which differ in terms of virulence. Having virus genome sequences is essential for identifying the host pathogen interactions and how this can be manipulated. Establishing the genomic differences of the various strains will assist in the identification of virulence mechanisms
Research Gaps and Challenges
- The annotation and analysis of genomes in the size range of ASFV is difficult and requires specialised tools
Solution Routes
- Using current, very robust technologies would be highly valuable to establish a comprehensive database, which would include full length genome sequence of large number of isolates to replace the current less meaningful genotype-based classification
Dependencies
- Analyse isolates from different origins and hosts including domestic pigs, wild boar, warthog and ticks
- Analyse field strains from current outbreaks in Africa
State Of the Art
- ASFV and Poxviridae have similar genome structures, including terminal inverted
repeats, terminal crosslinks, a central conserved region and variable regions at each end of the genome - ASFV virion is comprised of more than 50 polypeptides
- External to the inner membrane is the capsid, composed of the structural protein
p72, ASFV genome include homologs of cellular ubiquitin conjugating enzyme, trans-prenyltransferase, NifSlike protein, and components of a base-excision repair pathway - Several of the putative virulence/host range proteins, along with certain multigene
family (MGF) proteins, the central variable region protein 9-RL (pB602L as
annotated in BA71V), and the variable tandem repeat-containing structural
protein p54 (pE183L) are among the most variable among multiple field isolates.
Currently 22 genotypes have been described, based on the sequencing of a single
gene (p72). Full genome sequence of the p54-gene has been confirmed as a valuable additional genotyping method for molecular epidemiological studies - Enhanced discrimination is obtained by analysis of the central variable region
(CVR) within the B602L-gene
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 Kingdom
Unlocking potential: developing innovative adolescent screening visits for health promotion, prevention and treatment in low-resource settings
Planned Completion date 01/01/2028
Participating Country(s):
United Kingdom