Project Number: 6612-32000-040-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Feb 23, 2002
End Date: Jan 31, 2007

Objective:
Examine the development of local humoral immune response at mucosal surfaces in chickens and turkeys, and compare this response with systemic immunity. Develop vaccines for mucosal immunity against respiratory pathogens in poulty and diagnostic tests that will predict effectiveness. Develop new specific and sensitive serologic tests for detection of avian influenza virus, Newcastle disease virus, avian pneumovirus, and PEMS virus infections in poultry. Develop serologic tests to differentiate vaccinated from field virus infected chickens for avian influenza. Develop, evaluate and validate on farm diagnostic tests to establish disease transmission patterns and routes. Utilize this knowledge in establishment of on farm biosecurity practices that stop disease agent entry and on farm transmission.

Approach:
The protective role of serum and mucosal antibodies will be ascertained by passive administration of antibodies to naive birds and following the progression of the infection. The development of immunity in the respiratory-tract will be dilineated by immunoassay of mucosal contents and elispot analysis of respiratory-tract lavage lymphocytes. Genomic information for the viruses will be used to develop specific peptides and proteins for use in serologic test development in enzyme-or fluorescent-labeled immunosorbent assay, and reverse polarization formats. Diagnostic tests developed will utilize antibody-based dipstick tests and nucleic acid based RRT-PCR tests with hand-held devices. BSL2 and BSL-3AG.