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COVID-19 in Romania: what went wrong?

A catastrophic fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Romania raised international concern due to a rapid surge in the number of infections and the high associated mortality. A country of approximately 19 million inhabitants, Romania recorded close to 20,000 daily…

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Gene drive: a faster route to plant improvement

Gene drives for control of vector-borne diseases have been demonstrated in insects but remain challenging in plants. Theoretically, they could be transformative in speeding breeding programs and contributing to food security through providing novel weed control methods…

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A vaccine based on the A/ASIA/G-VII lineage of foot-and-mouth disease virus offers low levels of protection against circulating viruses from the A/ASIA/Iran-05 lineage

The recent emergence and circulation of the A/ASIA/G-VII (A/G-VII) lineage of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) in the Middle East has resulted in the development of homologous vaccines to ensure susceptible animals are sufficiently protected against clinical disease…

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PA-X is an avian virulence factor in H9N2 avian influenza virus

Influenza A viruses encode several accessory proteins that have host- and strainspecific effects on virulence and replication. The accessory protein PA-X is expressed due to a ribosomal frameshift during translation of the PA gene. Depending on the particular combination of…

flock of chickens on grass

New research from Pirbright reveals how Marek’s disease may directly affect the chicken immune system

Marek’s disease virus (MDV) causes disease in chickens and is estimated to cost the global poultry industry up to US $2 billion each year. In the early stages of disease, the virus has a direct effect on the chicken’s immune system and prevents it functioning correctly…

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Glycosylation of ALV-J envelope protein at sites 17 and 193 is pivotal in the virus replication

Glycans on envelope glycoprotein (Env) of the subgroup J avian leukosis virus (ALV-J) play an essential role in virion integrity and infection process. In this study, we found that among the 13 predicted N-linked glycosylation sites (NGSs) in gp85 of Tibetan chicken strain…

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Novel method for sub-grouping of genotype II African swine fever viruses based on the intergenic region between the A179L and A137R genes

Background African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious and deadly viral disease affecting domestic and wild pigs of all ages. African swine fever virus (ASFV) has spread rapidly through Eastern and Southeastern Asia first appearing in Vietnam in 2019. Objectives…

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Low dose pig anti-influenza virus monoclonal antibodies reduce lung pathology but do not prevent virus shedding

We have established the pig, a large natural host animal for influenza, with many physiological similarities to humans, as a robust model for testing the therapeutic potential of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). In this study we demonstrated that prophylactic intravenous…

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Low dose pig anti-influenza virus monoclonal antibodies reduce lung pathology but do not prevent virus shedding

We have established the pig, a large natural host animal for influenza, with many physiological similarities to humans, as a robust model for testing the therapeutic potential of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). In this study we demonstrated that prophylactic intravenous…

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Neutralising antibody activity against SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Omicron, in an elderly cohort vaccinated with BNT162b2

SARS-CoV-2 variants threaten the effectiveness of tools we have developed to mitigate against serious COVID-19. This is especially true in clinically vulnerable sections of society including the elderly. Using sera from BNT162b2 (Pfizer–BioNTech) vaccinated individuals aged…