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Identification of factors driving the emergence and spread of avian influenza viruses with zoonotic potential (FLU-SWITCH)
Project
Project code: 2823ERA29D
Contract period: 01.04.2023
- 31.03.2026
Budget: 231,119 Euro
Purpose of research: Experimental development
Keywords: animal health, zoonosis
Avian influenza viruses (AIV) pose a major zoonotic threat. It is crucial to identify AIV strains that have a high potential for cross-species transmission and to understand the pathways of their adaptation to humans. FLU-SWITCH addresses the zoonotic potential associated with the switch from LPAIV types H5 and H7 to HPAIV. The aim is to investigate whether specific mutations in the viral genome can promote cross-species transmission and increase the risk of zoonosis. The contribution of host factors to the emergence of HPAIV from LPAIV is also being investigated. The risk of AIV adaptation to humans depends on virus prevalence and geographical distribution, so factors influencing the spread of HPAIV in Europe will be analysed. The consequences of vaccine-induced immunity on the evolution of AIV will also be investigated. We will integrate these parameters to develop a risk assessment tool for the zoonotic potential of AIV. The German project partner (FLI) will lead work packages (WP)1.3, 2.2 and 4.1 and support other partners in the consortium on WP 1.2, 2.1, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2 and 5. As part of the main tasks, FLI will determine the viral and host factors that potentially contribute to the emergence, transmission and spread of zoonotic LP and HPAIV. We will investigate the contribution of the innate immune response to the emergence of zoonotic HPAIV (WP 1.3), understand the role of furin-like proteases in regulating the emergence of HPAIV (WP 2.2), identify potential markers of mammalian adaptation in circulating HPAIV in birds, and assess the zoonotic potential of circulating HPAIV in ferret models (WP 4.1).
Section overview
Subjects
- Animal health
Funding programme
Excutive institution
Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute - Federal Research Institute for Animal Health (FLI)
