Interrupting cholesterol pathway reduces Marek’s disease spread, Pirbright study shows
In a new discovery, scientists from The Pirbright Institute confirm that cholesterol production and transport play a crucial role in how Marek’s disease virus (MDV) infects poultry cells. Researchers also found that inhibiting a protein involved in this pathway can reduce virus replication and spread between cells. These results pave the way for the design of new antivirals and vaccines that interrupt the cholesterol pathway to prevent shedding and transmission of the virus among birds.