Pandemics and Intellectual Discourse: WPI Research

Influenza A is a virus that can infect a wide range of hosts and thus has the potential to cause widespread infection. Due to urban interactions between avian and rodent species it is possible that the common brown rat, Rattus norvegicus could become a transmission vector, triggering an influenza epidemic or pandemic. To test the potential for viral transmission, samples taken post mortem as swabs and tissue samples from urban rats collected in the city of Boston were tested for the virus using RNA extraction and PCR. Preliminarily positive results were obtained from lung tissue and oronasal swab samples and used to inoculate chicken eggs for viral amplification. Using current methodologies, no virus was detected. Future studies may focus on other model systems for viral amplification.

The goal of this report is to aid U.S. states and localities in fulfilling the six influenza pandemic preparedness and response activities established in the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza. Recommendations for each responsibility are based on the characteristics of the influenza virus, past pandemics, existing pandemic preparation strategies and interviews with local professionals. Recommendations are also made to the federal government based on the most susceptible states and localities for becoming a pandemic entry point.

Avian influenza is a highly mutable RNA virus that is readily passed between bird species, and from birds to humans. It is possibly the greatest airborne pandemic threat to the human population. An inexpensive vaccine that is easy to produce, store, and administer is necessary for the prevention of this disease. We purified a novel protein construct (U65-mHAt) which includes the mature transcript of Influenza A subtype H5N1 virus and loaded it into particles made of beta-glucan, a known adjuvant that has been shown to improve immune system response to the influenza vaccine. This system is cost effective, can be rapidly amplified, and is easily administered making it a viable option for preventing a worldwide H5N1 pandemic.

The Influenza A virus is a highly pathogenic virus with the potential to cause major pandemics and annual outbreaks. The goal of this project is to investigate the highly conserved trimeric polymerase complex of the virus, which is needed for viral replication and transcription. We developed the reagents for a fluorescence polarization assay, which can identify small molecules that disrupt the interactions within the complex, and have the potential to be a new anti-viral drug. This project also developed a transcription assay system to test the polymerase fidelity.