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Viruses we study

Our research focuses on viruses that are potentially devastating for the economy, food security and the wellbeing of animals and humans. These include diseases like foot-and-mouth disease and bluetongue, which affect certain livestock, and zoonotic viruses like avian and swine influenza that can spread from animals to humans.

The list below contains the main viruses we work on. Each page gives details about the family the virus belongs to and the diseases associated with that virus. For example bluetongue virus (BTV)African horse sickness (AHS) and epizootic haemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) all belong to the Reoviridae family, and SARS-CoV-2 (the cause of COVID-19) and infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) are within the coronavirus family (Coronaviridae).

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default image African horse sickness virus (AHSV) infects all equine species and is often fatal in horses and mules. It is from the family Reoviridae of the genus Orbivirus and there are 9 types (serotypes). AHSV is unenveloped and made up of...
African swine fever virus (ASFV) causes a devastating disease of pigs. It is a large complex DNA virus and is the only member of the Asfarviridae family, genus Asfivirus. ASFV has several layers that surround a dense core...
Avian influenza (AI) viruses, commonly known as bird flu, infect a wide range of hosts, including humans and swine. The natural reservoir lies in populations of wild aquatic birds such as ducks and shorebirds. AI viruses are members of...
default image Avian leukosis virus (ALV) infects mainly chickens but can also infect pheasants, partridges and quail. It belongs to the Alpharetrovirus genus of the family Retroviridae. It is divided into subgroups A, B, C, D, E and J, depending...
There are 29 different types (serotypes) of bluetongue virus (BTV) which can infect domestic animals such as sheep, goats, and cattle, along with wild animals like buffaloes, deer, antelope and camels. BTV belongs to the family Reoviridae, genus Orbivirus with...
Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) is a respiratory virus that infects mainly cattle, but can also infect sheep and goats. It can vary in its ability to cause disease, ranging from fatal to no clinical signs shown. BRSV can also...
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) can infect humans, but it has natural reservoirs in monkeys, birds, cattle, and rodents. It is a member of the Togaviridae family of viruses, in the alphavirus genus. Because it is mainly transmitted by mosquitoes,...
Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) infects pigs and wild boar. It belongs to the genus Pestivirus in the family Flaviviridae , where only one serotype has been classified, but multiple strains exist which vary in virulence. CSFV is an...
About the virus Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a vector-borne virus which infects both wild and domestic animals such as cattle, sheep and goats as well as humans. It is an arbovirus belonging to the genus Nairovirus in...
Dengue virus (DENV) is a member of the Flavivirus genus and Flaviviridae family of viruses. DENV is an arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) and is primarily transmitted by mosquitoes. Like other flaviviruses, DENV contains a genome composed of single stranded...
default image Epizootic haemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) mainly infects deer, but sheep and cattle can also be infected. It belongs to the family Reoviridae , genus Orbivirus , and 8 or more serotypes have been found. EHDV has a double layered capsid...
Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) infects cloven hoofed (two-toed) mammals such as cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and various wildlife species. The virus belongs to the family Picornaviridae , genus Aphthovirus . FMDV is a non-enveloped virus with a single stranded RNA...

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