Research paper The short stalk length of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus neuraminidase limits transmission of pandemic H1N1 virus in ferrets H5N1 influenza viruses pose a pandemic threat but have not acquired the ability to support sustained transmission between mammals in nature. The restrictions to transmissibility of avian influenza viruses in mammals are multigenic, and overcoming them requires adaptations in… Read more
Research paper A new model for CD8(+) t cell memory inflation based upon a recombinant adenoviral vector CD8(+) T cell memory inflation, first described in murine CMV (MCMV) infection, is characterized by the accumulation of high-frequency, functional Ag-specific CD8(+) T cell pools with an effector-memory phenotype and enrichment in peripheral organs. Although persistence of… Read more
Research paper Evaluation and use of in-silico structure-based epitope prediction with foot-and-mouth disease virus Understanding virus antigenicity is of fundamental importance for the development of better, more cross-reactive vaccines. However, as far as we are aware, no systematic work has yet been conducted using the 3D structure of a virus to identify novel epitopes. Therefore we… Read more
Research paper Induction of CD152 (CTLA-4) and LAP (TGF-beta 1) in human Foxp3(-) CD4(+) CD25(-) T cells modulates TLR-4 induced TNF-alpha production CD152 (CTLA-4) is a co-stimulatory molecule that is expressed by T cells and negatively regulates immune responses. Here, we report the identification of a novel ligand. GPC(81-95), with the ability to induce both CD152 and LAP (TGF-beta 1) on human Foxp3(-) CD25(-) CD4(+) T… Read more
Research paper Bluetongue virus reverse genetics This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction to Bluetongue virus, Bluetongue virus replication, Reverse genetics, Uses of reverse genetics in orbivirus research, Future perspectives. Read more
Research paper Towards a universal vaccine for avian influenza: protective efficacy of modified Vaccinia virus Ankara and Adenovirus vaccines expressing conserved influenza antigens in chickens challenged with low pathogenic avian influenza virus Current vaccines targeting surface proteins can drive antigenic variation resulting either in the emergence of more highly pathogenic viruses or of antigenically distinct viruses that escape control by vaccination and thereby persist in the host population. Influenza… Read more
Research paper Epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus serotype 6 experimentation on adult cattle Epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV), an arthropod-borne orbivirus (family Reoviridae), is an emerging pathogen of wild and domestic ruminants closely related to bluetongue virus (BTV). EHDV serotype 6 (EHDV6) has recently caused outbreaks close to Europe in Turkey and… Read more
Research paper Investigating incursions of bluetongue virus using a model of long-distance Culicoides biting midge dispersal Bluetongue virus (BTV) is an economically important pathogen of ruminants that is the aetiological agent of the haemorrhagic disease bluetongue. Bluetongue virus is biologically transmitted by Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), and long-range dispersal of… Read more
Research paper The peptide motif of the single dominantly expressed class I molecule of the chicken MHC can explain the response to a molecular defined vaccine of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) In contrast to typical mammals, the chicken MHC (the BF-BL region of the B locus) has strong genetic associations with resistance and susceptibility to infectious pathogens as well as responses to vaccines. We have shown that the chicken MHC encodes a single dominantly… Read more
Research paper Functional and immunological relevance of Anaplasma marginale major surface protein 1a sequence and structural analysis Bovine anaplasmosis is caused by cattle infection with the tick-borne bacterium, Anaplasma marginale. The major surface protein 1a (MSP1a) has been used as a genetic marker for identifying A. marginale strains based on N-terminal tandem repeats and a 5'-UTR microsatellite… Read more
