Rift Valley Fever Virus

1 - Introduction 2 - Rift Valley Fever Virus 3 - Bluetongue Virus 4 - Vesicular Stomatitis 5 - Vocabulary 6 - Web Links 7 - Outside Reports

The introduction of Rift Valley fever (RVF) virus (RVFV) is the most significant arthropod-borne animal disease threat to U.S. livestock according to the USDA, APHIS National Veterinary Stockpile (NVS) committee.  A number of challenges exist for the control and prevention of RVF in the areas of vaccines, diagnostics, epidemiology, and entomology.  RVFV was the third agent on the NVS committee's priority list for generation and stockpiling countermeasures including insect control, vaccines and diagnostics.  Counter measures include risk assessment, differentiating infected from vaccinated animal (DIVA) compatible yet efficacious vaccines, and sensitive, specific and user safe diagnostics tests that support a DIVA vaccine control strategy.  The research being conducted by the ABADRU includes: 1) To determine the vector competence of North American mosquitoes to virulent wild type and marked RVFV vaccine strains, including amplification and vertical transmission; 2) To develop expression and delivery systems to advance the discovery of diagnostics and vaccines specifically designed for the control and eradication of RVF; and 3) To develop direct and indirect diagnostic tests for the early detection of RVFV, including the differentiation of infected from vaccinated animals.  The overall goal is to utilize the ABADRU's unique multidisciplinary expertise to fill gaps in what is known about RVFV and provide the tools necessary for combating RVFV should it be introduced into the U.S.

 

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