Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

High pathogenicity avian influenza virus (HPAIV) is a significant burden on animal health globally and threatens human health. Incursions of HPAIV into the UK have increased significantly since 2020 with over 350 infected premises being detected between 2020 and 2023. Wild bird populations have also suffered significant mortalities across multiple species, with a shift to infection of seabirds enabling over-summering of virus infection in UK birds for the first time. Whilst virus incursions have been restricted to the H5N1 subtype, the ability of these viruses to exchange genetic material means that over 12 different H5N1 viruses have been detected in the UK. Further, the increased infection pressure has meant that the virus has spilt over into scavenging mammalian species with 23 detections of HPAIV in wild mammals since 2020. This project is in response to this extreme increase in detection of HPAIV infection in the UK and is divided across five work packages (WPs) to improve our understanding of HPAIVs, help mitigate incursions and refine approaches to future prevention strategies. Work-package (WP1) will improve our understanding of on-farm biosecurity practices, to define weaknesses in existing barriers and determine how to implement effective counter measures. Through detailed investigation and by conducting multi-sectorial interviews, the adherence and effectiveness of existing biosecurity interventions will be assessed. Outputs will provide insight into effectiveness and challenges to implementation which will be used to improve biosecurity in the field. WP2 will improve our understanding of factors which contribute to the circulation of these viruses, including understanding the complex interactions amongst wild bird networks and with poultry. Viral genetic and epidemiological data from the field, and data generated through the other WPs, will be input into models that will provide insight into 'high-risk' activities. Modelling populations and their interactions will link WP1 and WP5 to help understand the effectiveness and impact of existing and future control and mitigation actions. WP3 will improve our understanding of HPAIV transmission dynamics in both wild birds and poultry. By undertaking biological sampling across wild bird populations, we will develop risk-based surveillance programmes and model interactions at wild bird and poultry interfaces. This will enable a definition of high-risk incursion sites and critical wild bird populations responsible for potential sustained transmission within the environment. Outputs will feed into WP2 and enable a greater understanding of the potential reservoirs of infection as well as factors that drive incursion of disease from bird reservoirs into the poultry sector. WP4 will assess virological factors that drive differential disease outcomes. Both viral infectivity and factors that dictate infection of different species will be assessed. This will enhance our understanding of virological interactions and define the role of viral factors that contribute to viral emergence. This WP will also link to outputs from other WPs to examine the mechanisms that drive viral diversity and factors that may enable adaptation to different hosts. Finally, WP5 will assess the role of host factors, including immunity, in governing susceptibility, outcome, epidemiology, and virus evolution. This WP will investigate how molecular differences between species contribute to disease outcomes and define how antibody responses to different virus proteins impact upon the potential of virus emergence including variations across different hosts. Viral domains that are identified as being important in the emergence of escape mutants will be further investigated to define where flex exists within viral proteins targeted by the host immune response. We will also assess how the implementation of vaccination might impact on outbreaks and hence will inform future mitigation strategies.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

Tick-borne diseases cause a significant health burden on both the human and domestic livestock populations within the United Kingdom (UK). This includes the recently detected tick-borne encephalitis virus, a common cause of encephalitis in humans across Europe, and the livestock disease caused by louping ill virus. Both are types of flaviviruses and are closely related, and both are now endemic within the UK. Many questions remain concerning the biology of these viruses and there are key gaps in understanding virus distribution within tick vector populations, fundamental questions on flavivirus virus pathogenesis and a clear lack of serological tests that can distinguish between antibodies to either virus in order to tell which is circulating in the different host species. To address these gaps, the TickTools project aims to conduct a series of studies, each coordinated by one of the project partners. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) will conduct field surveys for adult ticks from across the UK and determine the microbiological make-up present within each sample, which will identify all viruses and bacteria present. This approach will also capture the genome of each tick that can be used to assess the relationships between tick-populations within the country, which in turn could reveal the interactions between these populations and how ticks, and their pathogens disperse. APHA will support the University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR) in establishing a virus infection model to determine the pathogenesis of tick-borne flaviviruses. This will be achieved by comparing the virulent virus with an attenuated virus. This approach will identify potential therapeutic targets for prevention and control of flavivirus infection with the aim of preventing the most severe manifestations of virus infection. From these studies, CVR will supply organ tissue (spleen) to the University of Nottingham (UoN) to support their development of scFv antibodies that can be used to further study both viruses but also have potential as treatments for people or pets that become infected. The UoN will also develop antigen (peptide) panels that will discriminate between serological responses to infection with either TBEV or LIV. Using assays developed by UoN, serological surveillance in both human and animal populations will be possible.