Participating Partners (IZSVe)

Objectives supervision of collaboration between WPs that strongly depend on each other ensuring that all scientific project milestones and dleiverables are reached properly in-time project management to ensure that all project administrative and financial activities are carried out as required identification and procurement of funding for staff exchange development and maintenance of web-site organization of staff exchange between partners

Desription of work prime responsibitliy for the conduction of the project and for the contact with the Commission organization of all consortium meetings, both plenary and bilateral with partners organiztion of mid-term review coordination and editing of all scientific and administrative reports to the Commission responsible for legal and contractual issues, financial control and origanization of project audits scientific management of the project with prime poits of interest ensuring that partners work smoothly together in accordance with the overall objectives of the project facilitating the partners to work in in line with the overall objectives of the project identification of pivotal deliverables and milestones for each WP which impact the progression of dependant activities identification of funding and procurement of funding required for the exchange of staff between partners creation, management and upkeep of a web-site

Deliverables D1. Active and updated web-site D2. Annual report. D3. Annual report D4. Identification and procurement of funding for staff exchange D5. Staff exchange between partners D6. Final scientific report to the EU D.7. Final administrative and finacial report to the EU

Milestones and expected result M1.1 Kick-off teleconference with all participants (Month 1) M1.2 Identification of web-site manager (Month 2) M1.3 Identification of suitable funding bodies for staff exchange (Month 3) M1.4 Partner meeting. (Month 3) M1.5 Activation of Web-site (Month 6) M1.6 Procurement of funding for staff exchange (Month 12) M1.7 Staff exchange (Month13-Month30) M1.8 Annual report (Month12) M1.9 Annual report (Month 24) M1.10 Final partner meeting; final scientific and administrative and finacial report (Month30)

Participating Partners                                                                 (IZSVe)             (VLA)           (CIDC)            (NARC)            (ID-VET)

Objectives Generate data and instruments for the implementation of vaccination as a tool to support the eradication of AI. The main areas of research which have been identified are: identification of prototype strains for an EU vaccine bank generation of data on the presence of virus in vaccinated versus unvaccinated animals further development of the anti-N diagnostic test evaluation of the occurence of antigenic drift in presence and in absence of vaccination

Deliverables D8.  Indetification of prototype strains for an EU vaccine bank D9. Development and validation of anti-neuramindase antibody detection ELISAs for N1-N2-N3 and N7 D10. Data on the presence of AI in meat of vaccinated versus unvaccinated animals D11. Data on the occurence of antigenic drift in H7 isolates of the Eurasian lineage

Milestones and expected results M2.1 Identification/generation of suitable candidates for vaccine studies (Month 3) M2.2 Results of cross HI and VN tests (Month 8) M2.3 Results of cross-protection experiments with pilot vaccines (Month 30) M2.4 Mabs against NA (subtypes N1-N2-N3-N7) (Month 15) M2.5 Hyperimmune sera against selected isolates and cross-HI results (Month18) M2.6 Availability of sequence data on the H gene of selected H7 isolates (Month 18) M2.7 Phylogenetic analysis of N2, N3, M2 genes from recent AI European isolates (Month 30)

Objectives Develop rapid antigen detection pen-side tests for H5/H7 AIV Develop rapid pen-side Real-Time RT-PCR for H5/H7 and generic AI detection

Deliverables D12 Evaluate protype LFD for AI antigens in trials and define performance criteria D13 Completed LFD optimization and antibody evaluation and final prototype selected D14 Supply LFD and guidance notes to collaborating laboratories for fianl evaluation D15 Rapid validated pen-side tests for H5/H7 AIV AI antigens D16 Rapid pen-side Real Time RT-PCR for H5/H7 and generic AI detection

Milestones and expected results M3.1 Developed and optimized prototype LFD using existing antibodies (Month 5) M3.2 100 devices for preliminary field evaluation to identify performance and requirementsof final LFD test (Month 8) M3.3 Completed LFD development including evaluation of all available antibodies, optimization, multi-analyte detection and selection of final protype (Month 15) M3.4  Defined quality control procedures and criteria with statistical analysis of variance between and within batches of prototypes (Month 16) M3.5 Prepare 7000 devices with extraction details and instructions for validation by relevant partners (Month 20) M3.6 Transfer of laboaratory realtime RT-PCR assays to portable field machine (Month 12) M3.7 Completion of laboratory validations with reference strains and clinical samples (Month 18) M3.8 Comparison of sensitivity between the molecular and antigenic detection methods (Month 28)

Objectives This WP will concentrate onsusceptibility of different avian species to avian influenza viruses and the mechanisms underlying host adaptation. In addition, transmission modes and dynamics in avian species other than chickens and the effect of intervention strategis on transmission will be quantified In vitro systems for modeling and identifying host adaptation and tropism of HPAI viruses Susceptibilityof Anseriformes (ducks, muscovy, mule ducks) for LPAI and HPAI viruses Experimental transmission dynamics of selected HPAI viruses in ducks, quail, indigenous chicken breeds fom Asia Better knowledge of the transmission of H5 LPAI in the field (in commercial ducks in the European system of production) Efficay of vaccination on the transmission in ducks and quails

Deliverables D17 Protocol for testing targeting of influenza virus to dendritic cells and/or macrophages D18 Protocol for determiningg the capacity of influenza virus and/or vaccine to induce type 1 interferon and TNF-alpha production in vitro D19 Test protocol for analysing influenza virus isolates in terms of altered tropism for NeuAC alpha 2,3 gal (mainly avian viruses) and NeuAC alpha 2,6 gal (mainly human/porcine isolates) D20 Available influenza viruses of current interest analysed for their capacity to induce type I interferon and TNF alpha production in vitro D21 Genetic factors that determine cell tropism D22 Data on the incubation time of selected AI virus infection in ducks and quails D23 Data on the occurence of vertical transmission by infecting muscovy ducks D24 Data on the pathogenesis of AI in quails D25 Parameters that describe transmission dynamics in groups of ducks D26 Parameters that describe transmission dynamics in groups of indigenous chicken breeds D27 Improved AI surveillance methodology in waterfowl and quail D28 Efficay of vaccination on virus transmission within a group of ducks D29 Data that can be used for modelling the efficacy of vaccination in the field

Milestones and expected results M4.1 Cell lines and dendritic cells or macrophage cultures establiahed for tropsim studies (Month 9) M4.2 Interferon and TNF assays to determine cytokine induction potential of influenza viruses (Month 14) M4.3 First results on tropism and cytokine induction studeis (Month 24) M4.4 in vitro model for identifying of host adaptation factors (month 30) M4.5 Comparison of different virus isolates for induction of type I interferon and TNF production in vitro M4.6 Infection dynaimcs in expeimentally infected ducks and quails (Month 12) and data on vertical trasmission in ducks (Month 24) M4.7 Transmission dynamics in groups of ducks (Month 24) M4.8 Efficay of vaccination in reducing virus transmission in relation with immunity levels required (Month 30) M4.9 Reagents for evaluation of DIVA test (Month 30)