Influenza A virus
Determining the Genomic Context of Antiviral Drug Resistance Influenza A virus
Project Summary
Influenza A virus is an important pathogen causing disease in birds and mammals including humans. Although typically associated with seasonal epidemics and self-limiting infections, Influenza A virus can cause serious life-threatening infections and has the capacity to cause global pandemics associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. The Spanish Flu in 1918 for example is estimated to have killed between 50 and 100 million people making it one of the deadliest disease outbreaks ever reported.
There are now several antiviral drugs available that can be used to treat influenza A infection, however resistance has been reported meaning that these drugs may become less effective for managing influenza A infections. In some instances, the mechanism of resistance is known, however there are still significant gaps in our general understanding of the genetic basis for antiviral drug resistance in influenza A virus.
This project will use deep sequencing to determine the genetic basis of antiviral resistance in a collection of several hundred influenza A virus isolates, which should provide invaluable insights into the mechanisms of antiviral resistance in his virus.
Project Partners
WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza
Victorian Infectious Diseases Laboratory (VIDRL)