Tag: avian influenza

Adaptability of avian influenza viruses poses threat to poultry

New insights from a study of the 2016/2017 avian influenza outbreak in Eurasia show how highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses – which are likely to cause severe disease in chickens – can be transmitted from wild migrating bird populations to domestic flocks and back again. These viruses can readily exchange genetic material with other low […]

Avian influenza: recombinant antibodies reduce symptoms and virus shedding in chickens

Scientists at The Pirbright Institute have engineered synthetic antibody molecules that can be administered to poultry to reduce the symptoms of influenza, as well as decreasing the amount of virus they shed into the environment. These results suggest that there is potential for their use as immunotherapy treatments to reduce the burden of influenza in […]

Genetic engineering speeds up poultry vaccine development

Scientists at The Pirbright Institute have used genetic engineering to develop a vaccine that protects birds against both Marek’s disease and avian influenza. They say the process is faster and more efficient compared to previous methods, which will allow poultry vaccine producers to rapidly update vaccine strains in order to keep up with virus evolution. […]

Avian influenza: study identifies high risk poultry trading practices in Vietnam

Scientists at The Pirbright Institute have found that the transmission of avian influenza viruses in Vietnam is influenced by the structure of live poultry trading networks. Their work has identified the groups that are most likely to employ trade practices that impact the risk of infection in chickens, which could better inform vaccination strategies in […]

A single Influenza A virus protein can increase period of infection

Research led by scientists at The Pirbright Institute has shown how an Influenza A virus (IAV) accessory protein, PB1-F2, is able to shut down two pathways of the chicken immune response to increase the length of time the virus can be transmitted. The researchers say that the majority of avian IAV isolates are able to […]

Launch of the ‘One Health Poultry Hub’

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has announced the launch of the UKRI GCRF One Health Poultry Hub. The RVC is the lead organisation, with partners in Asia, Australia and Europe. Funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), this interdisciplinary Hub will address the need to meet rising demand […]

Pandemic potential of H9N2 avian influenza viruses studied

Researchers have identified the molecular mechanisms that enable H9N2 viruses – the most common type of avian influenza virus – to infect humans, helping improve risk assessments for its potential to cause pandemic. Although H9N2 viruses are considered less pathogenic than some types of avian influenza virus, they still cause significant losses for the poultry […]