Award details

Vaccines as drivers of disease emergence:transmission ecology and virulence evolution in Marek's disease

Reference	BBS/E/I/00001670
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Venugopal Nair
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	The Pirbright Institute
Department	The Pirbright Institute Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	383,731
Status	Current
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/01/2013
End date	31/12/2017
Duration	59 months

Abstract

Our overall aim is to dissect the selective forces imposed by immunization on MDV virulence. We ask: Can some types of vaccination allow the emergence and circulation of pathogens otherwise too virulent to persist? Specific aims: 1. Determine the fitness impact of vaccination on virus strains of varying virulence. Hypotheses: (i) vaccination enhances the relative fitness of more virulent strains, and (ii) improvements in the efficacy of leaky vaccines fuel virulence evolution. 2. Determine the impact of maternal antibodies on the evolution of MDV virulence. Hypothesis: maternal immunity enhances the relative fitness of more virulent strains of offspring. 3. Experimentally evolve a single MDV strain in vaccinated and unvaccinated hosts. Hypothesis: virulence will increase fastest in immunized hosts. 4. Elucidate the epidemiology of MDV on poultry farms. Hypothesis: MDV is endemic on farms and in all types of operation. 5. Develop mathematical models relating the experimental data to farm- and industry-level epidemiology and evolution. Hypothesis: contrasting farm practices (hygiene, husbandry) and immune manipulations (vaccination, genetic resistance) will impact epidemiology and disease evolution.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Not funded via Committee
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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