Project Number: 1940-32000-056-11
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 01, 2011
End Date: Dec 03, 2013

Objective:
The objectives of this research project are (1) to assess the role of different regions of African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) genomes in virus virulence in swine and (2) to understand the mechanisms of virus infection and persistence.

Approach:
To fulfill objective 1, a set of genetically modified ASFV deletion mutants will be constructed from virulent wild-type viruses. Virulence of mutant viruses will be determined in swine relative to virulence of parental wild-type viruses. To fulfill objective 2, infections with wild-type and mutant ASFV will be established in vivo and in relevant cells of swine origin in vitro. Persistently and acutely infected cells and recovered viruses will be analyzed by a combination of techniques including microscopy, fluorescence confocal microscopy, qPCR, sequencing and sequencing analysis. Isolated viruses will be characterized in vitro and in vivo relative to wild-type viruses. Identification and characterization of host and viral mediating disease will be an important goal in this project. Overall experimental manipulation of identified host-virus interactions may be used for developing novel tools for controlling virus infection in vivo.