Investigation of factors affecting growth ability of avian influenza viruses in pigs

• Project/Area Number: 23780311
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Applied veterinary science
• Research Institution: National Agriculture and Food Research Organization
• Principal Investigator: TAKEMAE Nobuhiro 独立行政法人農業・食品産業技術総合研究機構, 動物衛生研究所インフルエンザ・プリオン病研究センター, 主任研究員 (10584386)
• Project Period (FY): 2011 – 2013
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2013)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,420,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,020,000); Fiscal Year 2013: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000); Fiscal Year 2012: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000); Fiscal Year 2011: ¥1,820,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥420,000)
• Keywords: インフルエンザ / 豚 / 鳥 / 温度感受性 / 宿主特異性

Research Abstract

Pigs are susceptible to type A influenza viruses of avian origin. However, influenza viruses transmitted from wild birds to pigs in nature were not always maintained in pig populations for long time. Adaptation of avian viruses to pigs may require acclimation to low temperature. Temperatures of intestinal tract in aquatic birds and upper respiratory tract in pigs where influenza viruses initiate replication are about 41 and 37 degrees C, respectively. To identify factors affecting the growth ability of avian viruses in pigs, avian viruses were repeatedly infected at low temperature to epithelial cells isolated from porcine lung. Comparative sequence analysis showed that several non-synonymous substitutions in the genes constituting of ribonucleoprotein complex and HA genes were occurred in the low-temperature adapted avian viruses. These observations suggested a possibility that the polymerase activity and HA protein could affect the growth ability of avian influenza virus in pigs.