Date of Completion

Spring 5-1-2013

Thesis Advisor(s)

Margaret J. Sekellick

Honors Major

Biological Sciences

Disciplines

Biology | Cell and Developmental Biology | Influenza Virus Vaccines | Pharmaceutics and Drug Design | Virology

Abstract

Avian Influenza Virus represents a significant threat to the world poultry population, and is a potential threat to humans due to the possibility of cross-species AIV infection. Our approach is to characterize a number of avian virus populations with respect to their content of biologically active particles that include hemagglutinating particles (HAP), plaque forming particles (PFP), interferon inducing particles (IFP), interferon induction-suppressing particles (ISP), defective-interfering particles (DIP), cell-killing particles (CKP) and non-infectious cell killing particles (niCKP) using unique in vitro assays developed for avian influenza virus in the Marcus-Sekellick Laboratory. Specifically, we will use a strain of Avian influenza virus, identified as A/TK/OR/71delNS1, which contains a truncated NS1 gene that is being evaluated as a potential Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (LAIV). Our long term goal is to determine whether the amount or ratio of any of the virus subpopulations correlates with an improved or more efficacious influenza virus vaccine.

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