Bird Flu Resistance due to Gene Editing

One of the reasons bird flu spreads is. due to farm animals. Chickens in chicken farms are very susceptible to disease and they are the reason why it spreads. With this being said, scientists have found a way to modify their genes to make them resistant to catching the virus. They made corrections to a gene called ANP32A. This gene gives cells the instructions to make protein that the bird flu likes to rely on, to take over. ANP32A was modified so that way it will stop making the protein that the virus likes to attach to. Even though it did turn out to work, there were still some chickens that got infected, so it is not 100% effective and it requires more studies. The average avian flu is not that dangerous as it only makes birds mildly sick. But there are more strains of this virus, some of which are lethal and make it very dangerous, not just for the birds, but for people as well. Even though there are already alternatives to protect poultry from getting this virus, the cost of continuously treating the birds is a lot, and the virus tends to make changes within itself to counteract the vaccines protection border. This is why genetic editing is something researchers and scientists are working on, as this can offer a more permanent resistance against this virus. An experiment was made with two groups of chicks. One group had chicks that were not genetically modified and one group that was. Researchers got a group of unedited sentinels to go with the unedited chicks and another group of edited sentinels to go with the group of edited chicks. Each group was exposed to the virus. The unmodified chicks that got exposed to the virus contracted it but only one of the modified chicks contracted the virus. Even though the one modified chick got the virus, it didn’t pass down the virus to any other chick in the same incubator. This experiment was tested again, however, there was a change in the dose that the birds were exposed to as well as the separation. Every bird was mixed. The results were that all unmodified chicks and the sentinels got the virus. Half of the modified chicks got the virus but no modified sentinels got the virus. This proves that even though genetically modified chicks contracted the virus, there seemed to be minimal spread of the virus. In order for the birds to be fully resistant to the virus, there needs to be more than just one change to the ANP32A gene and the end result is far from complete.

Scientists modifying genes is not that old. The bird flu is something dangerous which is being dealt with so that this virus becomes resistant in these animals. If scientists are doing this, just imagine what else they might be capable of doing. Modifying genes is complicated but, with these skills, the possibilities of modifying genes to not only animals, but humans, are endless. That is why this article was very interesting to me and captivated my attention because of this incredible study.

Sources:

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/gene-editing-chicken-resistant-bird-flu

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-41476-3

Gene Editing Can Make Chickens Resistant to Bird Flu

    For decades genetic modification has been occurring, and just recently have we found a way to soon stop the spread of disease on farms. This issue comes after the recent outbreak which affected the poultry industry when millions of chickens had to be put down or were killed due to the illness. 

    However, just recently after making some adjustments to a singular gene it was discovered that chickens became resistant to an avian influenza infection. With this knowledge, genetic modification could help in stopping viruses from replicating inside animals and stop them from transmitting different diseases and flus to other animals and people.

    The two images to the right show the injection of vaccines into chickens. Yes, vaccines have been created to help defend against the flu, but we are faced with many issues when it comes to using them. The vaccine is very costly, and the flu/virus is able to adapt so that it can elude the protection the vaccine offers. Therefore, genetic modification would be the best way to fix this issue considering that gene editing has permanent results.

 

    A gene called ANP32A directs chicken cells what they need to do in order to make a protein which the flu viruses rely on so that they can take over those cells. After doing a study with chicken cells grown in a lab it was found that when you eliminate the three ANP32 genes from the chicken cells the virus stopped replicating completely. More testing is being done for other genes due to the fact that could cause problems with chicken developments.

Main Source: 

Gene editing can make chickens resistant to bird flu (sciencenews.org)

Extra Links:

Using gene editing to fight deadly genetic diseases | News | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Bird Flu Changes but Calls Risk of People Spread Low

The World Health Organization says that is noticed a change in the bird flu virus that is currently spreading in China. The risk of the disease spreading easily between people is low. The genetic mutation have been seen from birds and infected people, showing that the flu viruses are changing constantly. In 2013, the H7N9 strain of bird flu showed up in China and only sickened people that were in close touch with chickens or other infected people. In a briefing on Wednesday, the U.N health agency said that about seven percent of recent cases, scientists have identified genetic changes suggesting the virus are resistant to Tamiflu. The mutation in the H7N9 virus became more deadly to birds but it still unclear as too how it may effect humans. 

This is an interesting study about genetics. The mutation that was caused in the virus that effected the chicken could be a potential threat to the humans. This is vital since chicken is one of the most consumed produce. It is important to our protein intake and several more. 

 https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/03/01/health/ap-eu-med-bird-flu.html

C.D.C. Begins Work on Vaccine for China Flu

A new strain of the China Flu has been affecting areas of China. Health officials are working to fight against the spread of the flu and produce a vaccine to protect the people as it poses a  potential threat . This new virus proved fatal for six people, worrying disease prevention and control officials. The genetic sequences provided by China allows scientists to begin the process of creating and growing a vaccine in sterile chicken eggs.

“Then the seed vaccine must be tested in ferrets. They will be vaccinated and given some time to grow antibodie then a solution of the H7N9 flu will be squirted into their noses. Doctors will then have to wait a few days to see if they get sick.”

The process of creating the vaccine appropriate to battle the H7N9 strain of bird flu could take months. After the vaccine being produced, tested and manufactured time could be running out and the flu may infect many more. The degree to which infected people are affected by symptoms of this flu is relatively unknown. With only 14 recorded cases, it is possible that this virus is more widespread, yet is not affecting the majority of the population in a lethal manner. However, the expansion of strains of bird flu cannot be taken lightly. As officials saw with other bird flus, they can be aggressive and cause many fatalities in an area.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more information on this article view :

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/05/world/asia/cdc-has-begun-work-on-vaccine-for-new-china-flu.html or

http://www.news24.com/Green/News/Bird-flu-vaccine-many-months-away-20130412

Could New Flu Spark Global Flu Pandemic? New Bird Flu Strain Seen Adapting to Mammals, Humans

A study conducted by a group led by Masato Tashiro of the Influenza Virus Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, and Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Tokyo have conducted a genetic analysis of the avian flu virus and have found that the virus is evolving to adapt to human cells, which is raising concern about its potential to trigger a new global flu pandemic. The researchers have examined the genetic sequences of H7N9 isolates from four human victims and from samples derived from birds as well as the environs of a Shanghai market. The first human cases were reported on March 31 by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The new virus has sickened at least 33 people, killing nine. There are definite signs that the virus is adapting to mammalian and more specifically, human hosts.

"The human isolates, but not the avian and environmental ones, have a protein mutation that allows for efficient growth in human cells and that also allows them to grow at a temperature that corresponds to the upper respiratory tract of humans, which is lower than you find in birds," says Kawaoka, a leading expert on avian influenza.

 The Influenza virus depends on its ability to attach to and hijack the living cells of its host to replicate and spread. Avian influenza rarely infects humans, but can sometimes adapt to people. Kawaoka explains that a majority of the viruses in the study, both from humans and birds, shows mutations in the surface protein hemagglutinin, which the pathogen uses to bind to host cells. Those mutations are what allow them to easily infect human cells. Samples from patients also contained another mutation that allows the virus to efficiently replicate inside human cells. This same mutation is what allows the avian virus to thrive in cooler temperatures, the human upper respiratory system.

Genetic information in the viruses is necessary for understanding how the virus is evolving and for developing a vaccine to prevent infection. Kawaoka evaluated the response of the new strain of the virus to drugs used to treat influenza. He discovered that one class of commonly used antiviral drugs, ion channel inhibitors, were not effective. The ion channel inhibitors work by effectively bottling up the virus in the cell. Although this has been found, the new strain can be treated with another clinically relevant antiviral drug, oseltamivir.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130412192402.htm