Abstract: The invention relates to a recombinant Gallid herpesvirus 3 vector encoding heterologous avian pathogen antigens comprising one or more heterologous polynucleotide(s) inserted into the intergenic loci UL3/UL4 and/or UL21/UL22. The invention further relates to vaccines comprising said recombinant Gallid herpesvirus 3 vector and optionally a further Marek's disease virus vector and to a use of the vaccine for protecting an avian species against one or more avian pathogens. Further methods for treating an avian species for protection against one or more diseases caused by avian pathogens and a method for producing the recombinant Gallid herpesvirus 3 vector encoding heterologous avian pathogen antigens is provided.

Abstract: The present invention provides an attenuated African Swine Fever (ASF) virus which lacks a functional version of the following genes: multigene-family 360 genes 9L, 10L, 11L, 12L, 13L and 14L; and multigene-family 505 genes 1R, 2R, 3R and 4R. The invention further provides an attenuated African Swine Fever (ASF) virus which lacks a functional version of the DP148R gene. The present invention also provides a vaccine comprising such an attenuated virus and its use to prevent ASF. Further, the invention relates to intranasal administration of an attenuated ASF virus.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the stabilization of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) capsids, by specific substitution of amino acids in a specific region of FMDV VP2. The invention provides stabilized FMDV capsids and vaccines against FMD.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the stabilisation of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) capsids, by specific substitution of amino acids in a specific region of FMDV VP2. The invention provides stabilised FMDV capsids and vaccines against FMD.

Abstract: The present Invention provides as avian cell in which the expression or activity of one or more of the following genes, or a homologue thereof: Chicken IFITM 1 (SEQ ID No. 1); Chicken IFITM2 (SEQ ID No. 2) and Chicken IFITM3 (SEQ ID No. 3) is reduced. The invention also provides methods for passaging viruses in avian cells, embryos and/or avian cell lines which have reduced expression of one or more IFITM genes and methods which involve investigating the sequence of one or more of the following genes, or a homologue thereof: Chicken IFITM1 (SEQ ID No. 1); Chicken IFITM2 (SEQ ID No. 2) and Chicken IFITM3 (SEQ ID No. 3).

Abstract: The present invention provides a live, attenuated coronavirus comprising a variant replicase gene encoding polyproteins comprising a mutation in one or more of non-structural protein(s) (nsp)-10, nsp-14, nsp-15 or nsp-16. The coronavirus may be used as a vaccine for treating and/or preventing a disease, such as infectious bronchitis, in a subject.

Abstract: The present invention provides an infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) spike protein (S protein) which is based on an S protein from an IBV strain with restricted tissue tropism, but which comprises the sequence XBBXBX in the part of the S2 protein corresponding to residues 686 to 691 of the sequence given as SEQ ID No. 2, where B is a basic residue and X is any amino acid; and which comprises at least one of the following amino acid substitutions with reference to the position numbering of SEQ ID NO:2: Leucine (L) to Phenylalanine (F) at position 578 Asparagine (N) to Serine (S) at position 617 Asparagine (N) to Serine (S) at position 826 Leucine (L) to Phenylalanine (F) at position 857 and Isoleucine (I) to Valine (V) at position 1000 such that an IBV virus comprising the S protein has extended tissue tropism. The present invention also provides a virus comprising such an S protein.

Abstract: The present invention provides an attenuated African Swine Fever (ASF) virus which lacks a functional version of the following genes: multigene-family 360 genes 9L, 10L, 11L, 12L, 13L and 14L; and multigene-family 505 genes 1R, 2R, 3R and 4R. The invention further provides an attenuated African Swine Fever (ASF) virus which lacks a functional version of the DP148R gene. The present invention also provides a vaccine comprising such an attenuated virus and its use to prevent ASF. Further, the invention relates to intranasal administration of an attenuated ASF virus.

Abstract: The present invention provides a foot-and-mouth diseases virus (FMDV) VP1 capsid protein which comprises an entity of interest (EOI). The EOI sequence may, for example, be an epitope tag, an immunomodulatory molecule or a target molecule. The present invention also provides an FMDV vaccine which comprises such a VP1 capsid protein and its use to prevent FMD.

Abstract: The present invention relates to the stabilisation of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) capsids, by specific substitution of amino acids in a specific region of FMDV VP2. The invention provides stabilised FMDV capsids and vaccines against FMD.

Abstract: The present invention provides a construct which, when expressed in a host cell, is capable of producing empty virus capsids, the construct comprising: (i) a nucleotide sequence encoding a capsid precursor protein; (ii) a nucleotide sequence encoding a protease capable of cleaving the capsid precursor protein; and (iii) a control element which controls the expression of the protease such that, when the construct is present in the host cell, the control element causes the protease to be expressed at a level sufficient to cleave the capsid precursor protein, but not sufficient to induce significant toxicity in the host cell. The invention also provides a vector and a host cell comprising such a construct and their use to generate empty virus capsids.

Abstract: The present invention provides a foot and mouth disease (FMD) virus having improved stability compared to the field isolate of the same subtype, wherein the virus comprises one or more amino acid mutations along a line of symmetry of the capsid structure. The present invention also relates to a vaccine comprising such an FMD virus and its use to prevent foot and mouth disease.

Abstract: The present invention provides a chimaeric coronavirus S protein which is based on an S protein from a coronavirus strain with restricted tissue tropism, but which comprises at least part of the S2 subunit from a coronavirus strain with extended tissue tropism, such that a virus comprising the chimaeric S protein has extended tissue tropism. The present invention also provides a virus comprising such a chimaeric S protein.

Abstract: The present invention provides a foot-and-mouth diseases virus (FMDV) VP1 capsid protein which comprises an entity of interest (EOI). The EOI sequence may, for example, be an epitope tag, an immunomodulatory molecule or a target molecule. The present invention also provides an FMDV vaccine which comprises such a VP1 capsid protein and its use to prevent FMD.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of identifying an animal having a genotype associated with resistance to bacterial infection comprising the steps of: (a) providing a sample from said animal; (b) determining the alleles at one or more markers of the SAL1 locus to identify the genotype of the marker, wherein said SAL1 locus lies between 54.0 MB to 54.8 MB of chicken Chromosome 5 or an equivalent thereof; and (c) determining whether the genotype is a genotype associated with resistance to bacterial infection.

Abstract: The present invention provides a foot and mouth disease (FMD) virus having improved stability compared to the field isolate of the same subtype, wherein the virus comprises one or more amino acid mutations along a line of symmetry of the capsid structure. The present invention also relates to a vaccine comprising such an FMD virus and its use to prevent foot and mouth disease.

Abstract: The present invention provides a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence as shown as SEQ ID No. 1 or a homologue or fragment thereof, a nucleic acid capable of encoding such a polypeptide and a vaccine comprising such a polypeptide/nucleic acid. The vaccine may be used for the treatment and/or prevention of a disease associated with an apicomplexan parasite.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a herpes virus vector which comprises a modified genomic sequence encoding a microRNA (miRNA) against a target sequence. The herpes virus vector may be used as or in a vaccine to prevent and/or treat a disease.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for diagnosing a mycobacterial infection in a subject, involving the following steps: (i) collection of a sample from the subject; (ii) incubation of the sample from (i) with an antigen preparation for 12 hours or less; and (iii) analysis of ?-IFN in the sample from (ii). The invention also provides a diagnostic kit for use in such a method.