Two projects coordinated by researchers at The Pirbright Institute designed to improve pig and cattle health have been successfully fully funded with a total of €3.5 million. The research aims to tackle three important livestock viruses – bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) in cattle, and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and African swine fever virus (ASFV) in pigs.
Scientists at The Pirbright Institute have measured the risk of different insect species transmitting lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) for the first time. LSDV causes severe disease in cattle and is rapidly emerging into new regions. It has recently spread from Africa and the Middle East into cattle populations in Europe and Asia. Pirbright’s research shows that insects are unlikely to acquire the virus if they bite infected cattle that are not displaying clinical signs, meaning these animals pose a limited risk of transmitting disease.
The Pirbright Institute has generated the first pig antibodies against swine influenza (flu) that protect against infection and recognise the same parts of the flu virus as human antibodies. This indicates they could be used to develop and assess human antibody therapies and their delivery methods. The pig antibodies also have the potential to improve how flu virus evolution is monitored and inform decisions about annual flu vaccine selection.
Studies carried out by The Pirbright Institute and the University of Oxford have shown that Oxford’s new potential vaccine against COVID-19, named RBD-SpyVLP, produces a strong antibody response in mice and pigs, providing vital information for the further development of the vaccine. Although this type of vaccine is not a competitor for the first wave of vaccines, it is hoped that it will be useful as a standalone vaccine or as a booster for individuals primed with a different COVID-19 vaccine.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, is thought to have originated in bats, but how it jumped hosts to infect humans is unclear, as is the potential for the virus to infect other animal species. Researchers from The Pirbright Institute have identified key differences in SARS-CoV-2 that may be responsible for the jump from bats to humans, as well as establishing which animals have cellular receptors that allow the virus to enter most effectively.
A new gene that determines the sex of malaria mosquitoes has been discovered by scientists at The Pirbright Institute. The gene, named femaleless by the researchers, can be manipulated to prevent female mosquitoes from developing (only females bite to feed on blood and spread disease), which could provide a new means for genetic control of mosquito populations that could be used to break malaria transmission.
The Pirbright Institute will support the NHS Berkshire and Surrey Pathology Services (BSPS) and the national NHS Test and Trace programme by providing induction and training for staff joining the new Lighthouse Laboratory in Bracknell. The Lighthouse Laboratory is designed to increase the UK’s COVID-19 diagnostic testing capability and will process COVID-19 samples from drive-in centres as well as swabs that people take at home.
Scientists at The Pirbright Institute have created flightless mosquitoes by editing a specific gene that is required for females to fly. This could provide a more controlled and targeted way of reducing mosquito populations (females bite to obtain a blood meal and thereby spread disease; males do not bite) in select areas where mosquito-borne diseases such as Zika and dengue are rife.
The Pirbright Institute’s Annual Report 2019-2020 showcases a year of scientific progress in the world of viral diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown into sharp focus the importance of the research that Pirbright carries out on the border between animal and human disease, and in pushing forward One Health Agenda research.
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