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PLUM ISLAND RESEARCH MISSION

The Plum Island Animal Disease Center is responsible for research and diagnosis to protect United States animal industries and exports against catastrophic economic losses caused by foreign animal disease (FAD) agents accidentally or deliberately introduced into the U.S.

These missions are accomplished by basic and applied research directed toward:

• More sensitive and accurate methods of disease agent detection and identification;
• Development of new strategies to control disease epidemics, including rDNA vaccines, antiviral drugs, and transgenic, disease-resistant animals;
• Tthe assessment of risks involved in importation of animals and animal products from countries where epidemic FADs occur;
• Diagnostic investigations of suspect cases of FAD outbreaks in U.S. livestock;
• Tests of animals in animal products to be imported into the U.S. to make sure those imports are free of FAD agents;
• Production and maintenance reagents used in diagnostic tests and vaccines for FADs; and
• Training animal health professionals in the recognition and diagnosis of FAD.

Foot and Mouth Disease Research

The Foot and Mouth Disease Unit's research mission is to develop strategies for the prevention and control of potential foot-and- mouth disease outbreaks in North America. Research is oriented toward development of vaccines that can be produced safely in the USA under existing federal law, and on diagnostic techniques that can differentiate between a vaccinated and an infected animal, can identify carrier animals and can be used safely on farms.

Initiatives to develop safer vaccines include recombinant DNA- derived subunit vaccines and newer candidate vaccines based on infectious clone technology.

Fundamental research on viral replication, viral particle assembly and release, virus/cell receptor interaction, the infectious process, the 3-dimensional structure of viral capsid epitopes, and the basic host cellular immune response to various stages of infection are required to develop practical methods for vaccination, diagnosis and non- immunity based control strategies.

African Swine Fever Research

This unit studies African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) with the goal of developing a control strategy for this disease. Efforts are focused on fundamental questions regarding both the virus itself and the complex virus-host interactions. An improved understanding of these areas undoubtedly will be necessary for the development of a conventional (vaccine) or novel anti-viral disease control strategy (intracellular immunization/transgenic disease resistant animals) for ASFV infection. Work is in two main areas: 1) Protective Immunity to ASFV Infection and 2) Molecular Virology of ASFV.

The work in protective immunity is directed at defining the protective immune response in swine and identifying the viral antigens capable of inducing it. This work will allow us to clearly evaluate vaccination as a potential control measure for ASFV and will provide both the theoretical and practical basis for subsequent development of an ASFV vaccine.

Efforts in molecular virology of ASFV are targeted at identifying critical viral genes that might serve as targets in devising a novel (non-immunity based) disease control strategy. Specifically, viral genes associated with viral virulence are being identified and functionally characterized.

USDA Plum Island Animal Disease Center
P. O. Box 848
Greenport, NY 11944-0848