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Recombinant Vaccines for Avian Respiratory Pathogens

Avian - 2002

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Background

In a previous year this project succeeded in sequencing a major portion of the avian pneumovirus (APV) genome. This enabled identification of several potential targets for the development of a vaccine. Progress has been made toward developing recombinant vaccines for APV control.

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Objectives

Continue research and build on earlier results to design and develop effective vaccines against APV, and an understanding of the molecular mechanisms of disease pathogenesis and immunity.

The project will:

• attempt to characterize fowlpox virus recombinants carrying two APV genes, evaluating the recombinant virus clones as live vaccines for protection of turkeys against APV infection;
• clone and express the APV F gene in a baculovirus and evaluate the recombinant F protein as potential subunit vaccine for APV;
• continue identifying differentially expressed genes in turkeys that are specifically induced during an APV infection, to understand the molecular pathogenesis of disease and facilitate identifying the genes in turkeys that are involved in their immune response to viral respiratory infections.

The knowledge of primary genes involved in host immune response will enable future design of rational strategies for effective control of APV through development of superior vaccines and methods to augment the host immune response.

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