Diagnostics and Surveillance
Resistance of Influenza Viruses in Environmental Reservoirs and Systems
- EC contribution
- : € 1 395 000
- : 36 months
- Starting date
- : 01/02/2007
- : STREP
- : Influenza, avian, pathogenic, zoonotic, resistance, inactivation, virus, environment, reservoirs, systems, models, restocking
- Project Number
- : SSPE-CT-2006-044405
- : www.rivers-project.eu
The surge of the global avian influenza epizootic mainly caused by the genotype Z high pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) has posed numerous questions, in particular to risk managers and policymakers. Scientific knowledge is thin on many aspects of the ecology and environmental properties of HPAIVs, in particular H5N1. Virus survival, a key element in control strategies, is an illustration of this paucity of knowledge. Data from the literature on AIV survival is rather limited, often very old and sometimes not confirmed from one study to another or even contradictory.
The results obtained with various sub-types of influenza A viruses cannot be extrapolated to the current A (H5N1) viruses before careful consideration. Furthermore, little information is provided regarding the survival of IVs in the air and surfaces - no standardised protocols exist to detect AIVs in waters, in the air or in/on solid matrices. Ideally, the virus detection technique to be used should be sensitive, quantitative, rapid and applicable in routine before or after a standardised sampling method, including or not concentration.
Under this project, nine institutions directly involved in AIV, three from Asian countries, have joined forces in order to investigate the prevention and control of influenza outbreaks in the animal population at present and at time of restocking. More specific objectives are:
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- to understand the basis of virus survival from a virological viewpoint;
- to understand the impact of physical and chemical elements on virus survival;
- to evaluate the role of environmental reservoirs;
- to propose standardised protocols for the concentration and detection of AIVs in waters, including waste waters, and in different matrices including food;
- to provide a database together with analytical tools to allow the generation of evidence-based guidelines for the prevention and control of influenza outbreaks in animal and human populations, especially at times of restocking.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza epizootics associated with zoonotic human cases.
The overall aim of this project is the prevention and control of avian influenza A(H5N1) in the animal population through the following specific objectives:
- Gathering data on the survival of avian influenza viruses (AIV), in natural environments.
- Generating scientific knowledge about the survival of avian influenza viruses in experimental settings.
- Providing figures about the effect of various treatments either chemical (e.g. disinfectants) or physical (e.g. UV light) on influenza virus survival.
- Providing figures on the effect of various types of food processing on influenza virus survival.
- Elaborating models about the survival of AIV in natural environments to demonstrate, in connection with other EU projects in this area, their perpetuation in nature both in biological and environmental reservoirs.
- Criteria for bio-equivalence in relation to virus survival between IV strains.
- Method of virus viability assessment other than virus titration on cell culture, approvable and standardised protocols for influenza virus recovery from various surfaces, approvable and standardised protocols for testing the effect of chemical and physical treatments of different types of water on influenza virus survival, Standard Operating Procedures for virus disinfection/inactivation in different settlements.
- Data on the prevalence of AIVs in waters (lakes, ponds and rivers) in the course of time throughout the year and along the stream of rivers; data on gastropods and bivalve molluscs regarding their potential role as concentrators and reservoirs of AIVs in aquatic biotopes.
- Data (database) on IV survival in the air and on various kind of surfaces and in various conditions, data on the prevalence of AIVs in the surroundings of farms with present and past outbreaks in the course of time throughout the year.
- Descriptive, data driven, low-level simulation models of AIVs perpetuation, viability and deactivation in (i) various water environments; laboratory-controlled and natural; (ii) in air at laboratory-controlled environments; (iii) in avian faeces and farm manure.
- Multi-scale agent-based simulation model of possible determinants for AIV's stability, perpetuation and deactivation.
- Recommendations for the prevention and control of current and future avian influenza outbreaks in wild and domestic birds with a pandemic potential in Europe and the rest of the world will be drawn from the data obtained through RIVERS in a final report to the EC to allow evidence based policymaking.
- International guidelines for the control and prevention (through virus inactivation and disinfection for example) of outbreaks in domestic birds but also in humans will benefit from the data generated by the project.
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