Partnership develops new efficient method to tackle avian infectious bronchitis virus

USA – In collaboration with New England Biolabs Inc., researchers at the Pirbright Institute have introduced a groundbreaking method to study the infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), a highly contagious pathogen affecting poultry. 

This innovative approach, published in PLoS ONE, promises to revolutionise IBV research, particularly in the rapid development of vaccines, helping curb the spread of this debilitating disease.

IBV, a coronavirus responsible for infectious bronchitis, poses a significant challenge to the global poultry industry. It causes substantial economic losses and serious animal welfare concerns and is especially a significant pathogen of commercial meat and egg-type birds. 

Infectious Bronchitis (IB) occurs worldwide and assumes various clinical forms, the principal being a respiratory disease that develops after infection of the respiratory tract tissues following inhalation or ingestion. 

Additionally, infection of the oviduct at a very young age can lead to permanent damage and, in hens, can lead to cessation of egg-laying or production of thin-walled and misshapen shells with loss of shell pigmentation.

Controlling the virus has been difficult due to its rapid mutation, often rendering existing vaccines less effective against different strains.

Traditional methods for studying the IBV genome have been slow and labour-intensive, hindering efforts to understand the virus and develop better vaccines. 

However, the team at Pirbright, led by Dr. Sarah Keep, in partnership with Dr. Greg Lohman from New England Biolabs, has developed a more efficient reverse genetics approach using a data-optimized Golden Gate Assembly process. 

This new system allows researchers to study IBV genes more rapidly and flexibly, significantly advancing the understanding of the virus’s biology.

This system’s flexibility is particularly valuable, as it can be swiftly adapted to study emerging IBV variants, aiding in developing targeted vaccines. 

Dr Sarah Keep, a senior molecular virologist in Pirbright’s Coronaviruses group, emphasised the impact of this advancement, stating, “This new system is a game-changer for our research on IBV and will allow us to develop vaccines to control the spread of this challenging virus.”

Beyond its application to IBV, the method holds promise for studying other coronaviruses and large-genome viruses, potentially accelerating the research and development of vaccines and treatments for various viral diseases.

The UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and New England Biolabs Inc. funded this research.

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