National Research Centre on Equines

About: National Research Centre on Equines is a facility organization based out in Hisar, Haryana, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Virus & Trypanosoma evansi. The organization has 181 authors who have published 262 publications receiving 3754 citations.

Virological and Immunological Outcomes of Coinfections

Abstract: SUMMARY Coinfections involving viruses are being recognized to influence the disease pattern that occurs relative to that with single infection. Classically, we usually think of a clinical syndrome as the consequence of infection by a single virus that is isolated from clinical specimens. However, this biased laboratory approach omits detection of additional agents that could be contributing to the clinical outcome, including novel agents not usually considered pathogens. The presence of an additional agent may also interfere with the targeted isolation of a known virus. Viral interference, a phenomenon where one virus competitively suppresses replication of other coinfecting viruses, is the most common outcome of viral coinfections. In addition, coinfections can modulate virus virulence and cell death, thereby altering disease severity and epidemiology. Immunity to primary virus infection can also modulate immune responses to subsequent secondary infections. In this review, various virological mechanisms that determine viral persistence/exclusion during coinfections are discussed, and insights into the isolation/detection of multiple viruses are provided. We also discuss features of heterologous infections that impact the pattern of immune responsiveness that develops.

Diagnosis and control of peste des petits ruminants: a comprehensive review

Abstract: Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an acute, highly contagious, world organization for animal health (OIE) notifiable and economically important transboundary viral disease of sheep and goats associated with high morbidity and mortality and caused by PPR virus. PPR is considered as one of the main constraints in augmenting the productivity of small ruminants in developing countries and particularly severely affects poor farmer’s economy. The disease is clinically manifested by pyrexia, oculo-nasal discharges, necrotizing and erosive stomatitis, gastroenteritis, diarrhoea and bronchopneumonia. The disease can be diagnosed from its clinical signs, pathological lesions, and specific detection of virus antigen/antibodies/genome in the clinical samples by various serological tests and molecular assays. PPR is the one of the priority animal diseases whose control is considered important for poverty alleviation in enzootic countries. Availability of effective and safe live attenuated cell culture PPR vaccines and diagnostics have boosted the recently launched centrally sponsored control programme in India and also in other countries. This review article primarily focus on the current scenario of PPR diagnosis and its control programme with advancement of research areas that have taken place in the recent years with future perspectives.

Vaccines against peste des petits ruminants virus

Abstract: Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an acute and highly contagious viral disease of sheep, goats and wild ruminants. The disease is controlled by the use of live-attenuated vaccines that give a lifelong immunity. Currently, several PPR vaccines are available for use in the field that are based on the tissue culture passage attenuation of wild-type PPR isolates. Four such preparations, viz., PPRV/Nigeria/75, PPRV/Sungri/96, PPRV/Arasur/87 and PPRV/Coimbatore/97 are licensed for use. The PPR vaccines comprising of PPRV/Nigeria/75 and PPRV/Sungri/96 are commercially available. While highly efficacious, a drawback to these vaccines is the requirement of a cold chain to preserve vaccine titre in the field. Thermostable live-attenuated vaccines have recently been developed in an attempt to circumvent the problems associated with the maintenance of a cold chain in tropical and subtropical countries. Despite this issue, targeted vaccination programmes for PPR in high-risk populations of sheep and goats constitute an effective control strategy. Lessons learnt from the rinderpest eradication programme suggest that the availability of a DIVA vaccine, to enable the differentiation between infected and vaccinated animals (DIVA), and a companion diagnostic test would greatly aid both the control and the surveillance for PPRV although it is recognised that eradication could be achieved in the absence of these tools. In this chapter, we discuss both the current and potential future vaccine strategies for PPRV and highlight elements of vaccines that are highly desirable in newer vaccine preparations.