Structural and functional investigations into a novel chemokine binding protein encoded by evolutionarily diverse alphaherpesviruses. The outcomes of this project will help control disease caused by alphaherpesviruses, including disease in livestock (horses and poultry) and wildlife (kangaroos and wallabies). This will enhance animal health and welfare and will also benefit the associated industries. Livestock industries are critically important to the Australian economy (equine and poultry indu ....Structural and functional investigations into a novel chemokine binding protein encoded by evolutionarily diverse alphaherpesviruses. The outcomes of this project will help control disease caused by alphaherpesviruses, including disease in livestock (horses and poultry) and wildlife (kangaroos and wallabies). This will enhance animal health and welfare and will also benefit the associated industries. Livestock industries are critically important to the Australian economy (equine and poultry industries annually contribute approximately $7.7 and $2.6 billion respectively to our GDP). Wildlife species are crucial to Australian ecosystems and feature in the Australian tourism industry. This project is expected to strengthen international research collaborations and further enhance Australia's reputation as a world-class leader in research and biotechnology.Read moreRead less
Development and Assessment of Chimaeric Feline Caliciviruses as Vaccines. Feline caliciviruses are major pathogens of cats worldwide, but current vaccines offer only incomplete protection. This project aims to develop novel recombinant vaccine strains that will generate more cross protective immunity and thus provide greater protection for vaccinated cats.
Development of an Attenuated Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus Vaccine. This project will develop novel methods for identification of genes involved in virulence of the important avian pathogen Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus and produce an attenuated, antigenically marked infectious laryngotracheitis virus vaccine strain by specific disruption and deletion of two or more genes in the virusÕs genome.
Infectious laryngotracheitis is a major disease of chickens throughout the world, but curre ....Development of an Attenuated Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus Vaccine. This project will develop novel methods for identification of genes involved in virulence of the important avian pathogen Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus and produce an attenuated, antigenically marked infectious laryngotracheitis virus vaccine strain by specific disruption and deletion of two or more genes in the virusÕs genome.
Infectious laryngotracheitis is a major disease of chickens throughout the world, but current vaccines retain some capacity to cause disease. The development of novel attenuated vaccines will thus enhance control of this important disease of poultry.Read moreRead less
Equine infectious respiratory disease after long distance confined transportation. This project aims to identify the viruses and bacteria that are shed from the respiratory tract of horses after long distance confined transportation (eg, in horse floats and aeroplane stalls). Horses are transported long distances with increasing frequency, but the risk of serious respiratory disease to these horses, and the subsequent risk to other horses at the destination has not been investigated. This projec ....Equine infectious respiratory disease after long distance confined transportation. This project aims to identify the viruses and bacteria that are shed from the respiratory tract of horses after long distance confined transportation (eg, in horse floats and aeroplane stalls). Horses are transported long distances with increasing frequency, but the risk of serious respiratory disease to these horses, and the subsequent risk to other horses at the destination has not been investigated. This project will develop novel, non-invasive diagnostic techniques to facilitate early detection of these micro-organisms and will utilise new molecular genetic methods to identify the virulent strains of these organisms and to increase our understanding of their epidemiology.
Read moreRead less
Equine rhinitis A virus; molecular pathogenesis and methods for control. The horse industry in Australia is primarily based in rural locations and is a major contributor to the national economy both in terms of direct economic contribution to gross domestic product and as a major employer of people in regional Australia. The research proposed in this project will improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of a virus that causes respiratory disease in horses that is related to the virus that c ....Equine rhinitis A virus; molecular pathogenesis and methods for control. The horse industry in Australia is primarily based in rural locations and is a major contributor to the national economy both in terms of direct economic contribution to gross domestic product and as a major employer of people in regional Australia. The research proposed in this project will improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of a virus that causes respiratory disease in horses that is related to the virus that causes foot and mouth disease in ruminants and swine. The technology developed during this project would have a global market.Read moreRead less
Blocking immune responses: a critical factor in herpesvirus virulence? The horse and poultry industries are two large, primarily rural based livestock production industries that are major contributors to the national economy. The research proposed in this project will improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of two important viral pathogens that are each a significant cost to their respective industry, and thus will ultimately reduce the cost of these two viruses to industry. In addition, ....Blocking immune responses: a critical factor in herpesvirus virulence? The horse and poultry industries are two large, primarily rural based livestock production industries that are major contributors to the national economy. The research proposed in this project will improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of two important viral pathogens that are each a significant cost to their respective industry, and thus will ultimately reduce the cost of these two viruses to industry. In addition, the technology developed during this project would have a global market and may be transferable to other viral pathogens of other domestic species.Read moreRead less
The first integrated multimodal assay for the ultrasensitive detection of dengue contamination of blood. This project will develop the first screening test to check for dengue contamination of blood donations in Australia. This will help ensure safe, continued supply from blood donors, particularly in Queensland where dengue is on the rise.