Researchers at The Pirbright Institute are collaborating with the Roslin Institute to define host factors of susceptibility and resistance to African Swine Fever in domestic and wild pigs.
African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) is a lethal pig pathogen which threatens the global supply of domestic pig meat but does not cause disease in wild African suids.
Control of African swine fever is limited to slaughter and quarantine of infected animals due to the lack of a safe and effective vaccine, causing major economic losses.
While ASFV studies have focused on pigs, little is known about the immune response of African red river hogs or warthogs, African animals that are related to pigs but do not develop disease.
Roslin scientists have developed a stem cell (iPSC)-based platform that can generate pig and red river hog macrophages or immune cells– the primary cellular target of ASFV.
The project is a collaboration with fellow researchers at the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE) in France, who will provide high-throughput bioinformatics and comparative genomics, and the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Spain, offering expertise in virology, host-pathogen interactions and single cell RNAseq.
Pirbright and Roslin are funded by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) through the EU Partnership on Animal Health and Welfare (EUPAHW), which aims to provide society with sustainable livestock, poultry and aquaculture production.
Dr Chris Netherton, who leads the African Swine Fever Vaccinology group at Pirbright, said: “There is a key knowledge gap and we aim to characterize the host factors responsible for ASFV resistance and deepen our knowledge of ASFV host-pathogen interactions.
“We hypothesise that susceptibility and resilience to ASFV is determined in part by intrinsic characteristics of macrophages, and their innate response. Our project will identify biomarkers of resistance, using pluripotent stem cells to identify host factors that regulate susceptibility and resistance to ASFV infection in macrophages.”
Dr Finn Grey, the Roslin Institute, said: “Our expertise in high-throughput genetic screens, combined with advanced stem cell biology available in Dr Tom Burdon’s lab, will allow us to evaluate the function of thousands of genes simultaneously in cells and pinpoint key host factors regulating African Swine Fever virus.”
Dr. Ferdinand Roesch, INRAE, said: “We are delighted to be working with Pirbright and partners through EUPAHW funding to help identify host factors of susceptibility and resistance to African Swine Fever in domestic and wild pigs. Our input will help to characterize links between innate immune sensing, cytokine production, and interactions within the interconnected, innate immune systems fighting viruses and inflammation.”
Dr. Cedric Notredame, CRG, added: “The recent detection of African swine fever near Barcelona is a stark reminder that this virus is always at our doorstep. Understanding why some wild suids can carry the virus without getting sick is essential if we want to prevent future outbreaks, protect local biodiversity and safeguard farmers’ livelihoods.”
The three-year project ultimately aims to identify key genetic factors underpinning resistance and resilience to ASFV through comparative analysis of domestic pigs versus warthogs, focusing on the innate immune response.
Pirbright’s African Swine Fever vaccinology group focuses on applied and fundamental research into the large DNA virus that causes African swine fever (ASF), a lethal haemorrhagic disease in pigs and wild boar.
For more information on the group’s work, contact enquiries@pirbright.ac.uk