Deciphering the molecular mechanisms of parasite-host interactions. The completion of genome projects for several helminths of veterinary significance has provided novel insights into the fundamentals of helminth biology. One outcome is the identification of microRNAs, a subclass of small regulatory RNAs which in plants and mammalian cells control diverse biological processes at the posttranscriptional level. We have discovered the presence of helminth miRNAs within host cells with the ability t ....Deciphering the molecular mechanisms of parasite-host interactions. The completion of genome projects for several helminths of veterinary significance has provided novel insights into the fundamentals of helminth biology. One outcome is the identification of microRNAs, a subclass of small regulatory RNAs which in plants and mammalian cells control diverse biological processes at the posttranscriptional level. We have discovered the presence of helminth miRNAs within host cells with the ability to mimic mammalian miRNAs to modulate innate immune responses. This project will discover how helminths hijack the mammalian miRNA machinery to regulate host gene expression and thus support long-term infection. The outcomes will highlight new avenues for the control of these persistent worm infections.Read moreRead less
Alphaherpesvirus recombination: safety implications for attenuated Herpesvirus vaccines. Under certain conditions some herpesviruses, including mild vaccine strains, can recombine to generate virulent viruses. Following findings that this occurred naturally between Australian poultry vaccines, with devastating results, this project will study natural herpesvirus recombination with the aim of allowing vaccines to be used more safely.
Molecular approaches to limit herpesvirus recombination. This project aims to generate safer attenuated herpesvirus vaccines for use in veterinary medicine by genetically manipulating the herpesvirus genome to reduce virus recombination. Recombination is recognised as a safety concern for a range of attenuated herpesvirus vaccines. This project is expected to generate viruses that have an impaired capacity to recombine with other viruses. These viruses will then be tested as candidate vaccines f ....Molecular approaches to limit herpesvirus recombination. This project aims to generate safer attenuated herpesvirus vaccines for use in veterinary medicine by genetically manipulating the herpesvirus genome to reduce virus recombination. Recombination is recognised as a safety concern for a range of attenuated herpesvirus vaccines. This project is expected to generate viruses that have an impaired capacity to recombine with other viruses. These viruses will then be tested as candidate vaccines for use in veterinary medicine. This offers a new approach to developing safer veterinary vaccines that will benefit our important animal industries.Read moreRead less
Evaluating host-parasite interplay in individual tissues. The immune system of the host and the infecting parasite has coevolved into a sophisticated balance of power. This project will explore this balance using Schistosoma japonicum infection in sheep and determine immune mechanisms unleashed by the host in various tissues as well as the response of the parasite to these attacks.
Virulence determinants influencing re-emergence of a complex RNA virus. This project intends to examine the effects that specific genes in naturally occurring recombinants have on their capacity to cause disease and spread between chickens. Coronaviruses are major pathogens of domestic animals throughout the world. Recurrent re-emergence of the coronavirus of chickens, infectious bronchitis virus, has been associated with recombination between wild type viruses and vaccine viruses, but the facto ....Virulence determinants influencing re-emergence of a complex RNA virus. This project intends to examine the effects that specific genes in naturally occurring recombinants have on their capacity to cause disease and spread between chickens. Coronaviruses are major pathogens of domestic animals throughout the world. Recurrent re-emergence of the coronavirus of chickens, infectious bronchitis virus, has been associated with recombination between wild type viruses and vaccine viruses, but the factors influencing this, and in particular the selective advantages genes from vaccine viruses confer on these recombinants, are unknown. The ultimate aim of the project is to identify both novel vaccines and alternative management strategies that might reduce the frequency of re-emergence of this virus and other coronaviruses.Read moreRead less
How do kangaroo herpesviruses jump to new host species? . This project aims to study alphaherpesviruses of kangaroos and other marsupials. These viruses cause outbreaks of severe disease in captive populations of marsupials when they are transmitted from natural hosts to new host species, but these cross-species transmission events are poorly understood. This project aims to study these viruses, and their capacity for cross-species transmission, using new approaches that consider herpesviruses a ....How do kangaroo herpesviruses jump to new host species? . This project aims to study alphaherpesviruses of kangaroos and other marsupials. These viruses cause outbreaks of severe disease in captive populations of marsupials when they are transmitted from natural hosts to new host species, but these cross-species transmission events are poorly understood. This project aims to study these viruses, and their capacity for cross-species transmission, using new approaches that consider herpesviruses as dynamic, mixed populations of viruses. This project also aims to develop novel, practical, and accessible vaccines to prevent disease. Benefits are expected to arise through prevention of disease in captive marsupial populations, including benefits for conservation efforts and for Australian tourism.
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Linking immunomodulation and latency in alphaherpesvirus infection. Herpesviruses cause major diseases in humans and all domestic animal species. Latency forms a significant part of the evolutionary success of herpesviruses, by enabling transmission of the virus throughout the lifetime of the host. Our work has shown that an alphaherpesvirus protein can divert the host’s immune response to become more antibody-mediated and less T cell-mediated. This study explores the consequences of this immune ....Linking immunomodulation and latency in alphaherpesvirus infection. Herpesviruses cause major diseases in humans and all domestic animal species. Latency forms a significant part of the evolutionary success of herpesviruses, by enabling transmission of the virus throughout the lifetime of the host. Our work has shown that an alphaherpesvirus protein can divert the host’s immune response to become more antibody-mediated and less T cell-mediated. This study explores the consequences of this immune diversion, and examines whether this reduced T cell response enables the development of latent infections. Disrupting the virus-host balance by alterations to this conserved viral protein will enable novel approaches to controlling these economically significant viruses.Read moreRead less
Imperfect vaccination drives herpesvirus evolution through recombination. Vaccines are used to help control disease caused by herpesviruses in animals, but some vaccination programs may drive the evolution and spread of herpesviruses with increased fitness (transmissibility, replication and virulence) through recombination. This project aims to study an important avian herpesvirus (infectious laryngotracheitis virus) in the natural host (poultry) to gain fundamental knowledge of how vaccination ....Imperfect vaccination drives herpesvirus evolution through recombination. Vaccines are used to help control disease caused by herpesviruses in animals, but some vaccination programs may drive the evolution and spread of herpesviruses with increased fitness (transmissibility, replication and virulence) through recombination. This project aims to study an important avian herpesvirus (infectious laryngotracheitis virus) in the natural host (poultry) to gain fundamental knowledge of how vaccination programs influence the emergence of diverse recombinant viruses, and identify which types of vaccination programs are best at preventing the emergence of fitter and more virulent viruses. The results are expected to inform vaccination practices to allow more effective control of these viruses in poultry and other animals.Read moreRead less
Functional identification of vaccine targets in pathogenic mycoplasmas. Mycoplasmas are important bacterial pathogens in domestic animals that are incompletely controlled by current vaccines. As a result current control measures for the diseases they cause rely on ongoing treatment with antibiotics. This project will aim to use functional genomics and metabolomics to determine the function of specific surface proteins of a model mycoplasma to identify targets for novel approaches to vaccines aga ....Functional identification of vaccine targets in pathogenic mycoplasmas. Mycoplasmas are important bacterial pathogens in domestic animals that are incompletely controlled by current vaccines. As a result current control measures for the diseases they cause rely on ongoing treatment with antibiotics. This project will aim to use functional genomics and metabolomics to determine the function of specific surface proteins of a model mycoplasma to identify targets for novel approaches to vaccines against these pathogens, and to then assess the potential for inclusion of these proteins in vaccines. Ultimately this will lead to improved vaccines against these important pathogens, improving agricultural productivity and reducing the use of antibiotics in intensively raised livestock.Read moreRead less
Role of Pasteurella surface polysaccharides in pathogenesis and immunity. Livestock infections cause major economic losses worldwide. The bacterium Pasteurella multocida causes multiple diseases in a range of livestock, including hemorrhagic septicaemia in cattle and fowl cholera in poultry. Two surface polysaccharide structures, capsule and lipopolysaccharide, are crucial for P. multocida to cause disease. Our data indicate that varying the amount/content of these structures also affects vaccin ....Role of Pasteurella surface polysaccharides in pathogenesis and immunity. Livestock infections cause major economic losses worldwide. The bacterium Pasteurella multocida causes multiple diseases in a range of livestock, including hemorrhagic septicaemia in cattle and fowl cholera in poultry. Two surface polysaccharide structures, capsule and lipopolysaccharide, are crucial for P. multocida to cause disease. Our data indicate that varying the amount/content of these structures also affects vaccine performance. This project aims to identify how the production of these P. multocida structures are controlled and if changes to these structures affect its ability to infect different animals/birds. Using this information, the project aims to develop state-of-the-art livestock vaccines with superior disease coverage.Read moreRead less