Award details

Molecular epidemiology studies of the Orbiviruses

Reference	BBS/E/I/00001144
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Peter Mertens
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	The Pirbright Institute
Department	The Pirbright Institute Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	1,277,314
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/04/2003
End date	30/06/2009
Duration	75 months

Abstract

The orbiviruses include 22 recognised species and several unassigned virus isolates (that may represent additional novel species). At the start of this project there were representative sequences for some strains of bluetongue African horse sickness and a few other Orbivirus species but these data were not linked to isolates with well documented origins or passage histories. The project is a long term and ongoing study that has already been running for several years, which is designed to establish a molecular epidemiology database for this large genus of dsRNA viruses, particularly for the more economically important virus species. It has therefore initially focussed on Bluetongue virus (BTV) and Epizootic Haemorrhagic Disease Virus (EHDV). The project involves the establishment and maintenance of a reference collection for the orbiviruses, which is accessible at: www.iah.bbsrc.ac.uk/dsRNA_virus_proteins/ReoID/orbiviruses.htm . This site is designed to provide a link between specific sequences and the isolation data for individual strains, lineages and serotypes of BTV, and of other orbiviruses. The sequences generated for individual BTV genome segments (initially Seg-2, Seg-6 and Seg-10) allow the construction of phylogenetic trees which show the origins and spread of the European outbreak strains. These trees are also displayed on the website at: www.iah.bbsrc.ac.uk/dsRNA_virus_proteins/orbivirus-phylogenetic-trees.htm. The study also involves the use of these phylogenetic data to develop diagnostic assays and primers, which are also available via the website, at www.iah.bbsrc.ac.uk/dsRNA_virus_proteins/ReoID/btv-S2-primers.htm

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Biomolecular Sciences (BMS)
Research Topics	Animal Health, 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

I accept the terms and conditions of use (opens in new window)

export PDF file

back to list new search