Award details

Bluetongue virus reverse genetics: the way forward for Bluetongue vaccines

Reference	BB/F02049X/1
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Polly Roy
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	London Sch of Hygiene and Trop Medicine
Department	Infectious and Tropical Diseases
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	568,936
Status	Completed
Type	Research Grant
Start date	01/07/2008
End date	31/12/2011
Duration	42 months

Abstract

Bluetongue virus (BTV) is an insect-vectored emerging animal pathogen which is currently having a severe economic impact in European agriculture. BTV causes high morbidity and mortality (up to 70%) in sheep. BTV is endemic in many tropical and sub-tropical countries, but since 1998 incursions of BTV into mainland Europe have been common events, reaching as far north as France, Belgium and Holland in 2006 and reaching the eastern counties of the UK in September this year. It is now likely that incursions will become regular events and plausible the BTV will become endemic in northern Europe. This proposal seeks to use a new technological advance, developed in the applicant's laboratory, to undertake proof of principle for a new type of vaccine for BTV. The vaccine will have improved safety over attenuated vaccines, be effective against multiple serotypes of the virus, compatible with current manufacturing processes and compliant with the DIVA principle. We will use a new reverse genetics system, currently only available in the applicant's laboratory, to generate a virus strain that is only capable of replication in tissue culture and not in vaccinated animals. This vaccine strain would be completely deficient in the production of key viral proteins and thus it will be possible to distinguish between vaccinated and infected animals on the basis of antibody responses to these proteins. The techniques and principles that are tested in this application will be transferable to other animal pathogens, for example African Horse Sickness virus.

Summary

Bluetongue is a viral disease of sheep, cattle and goats that poses an economic threat to UK agriculture. The virus is spread by insects (flying midges), since 1998 outbreaks of Bluetongue have spread Northwards in Europe and in September 2007 it reached the UK. The current European situation is severe with widespread infection of sheep, goats and cattle causing many animal deaths, and there is significant risk that a similar scenario will develop in the UK. Current vaccines available against Bluetongue are considered neither safe nor effective enough to be used on a widespread basis, nor do they protect from more than one of the 24 different strains of the virus. As prior vaccination for one strain does not protect against other strains a vaccine that will protect against all currently circulating strains of the virus is a priority. This proposal will develop such a vaccine, while maintaining the possibility to distinguish between infected and vaccinated animals, which is important for trade considerations. The new vaccine is only possible due to recent discoveries made by UK researchers, and uses technology which is not yet available in other public or commercial sector organisations.

Committee	Closed Committee - Animal Sciences (AS)
Research Topics	Animal Health, Immunology, Microbiology
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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