The epidemiology of zoonotic arboviruses in China and Vietnam: establishing arbovirus reference collections.
Lead Research Organisation:
The Pirbright Institute
Department Name: Vector Borne Diseases
Abstract
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Publications
| Description | The aim of the travel award was to reinforce existing links and set up new links with countries in south-east of Asia, including China and Vietnam. Collaborations with the Chinese colleagues were existing since 1997 for studying arthropod-borne viruses and we aimed to extend these collaborations to include Vietnamese colleagues. One of the objectives was to establish virus collections from various arboviruses. However due to the biodiversity conservation law in China, it was not possible to obtain live virus strains. We however secured an alternative way of exchanging biological material through exchange of genomic RNA which served to determine genome sequences of particular arthropod-borne and resulted in a joint publication. We also exchanged diagnostic material in the form of recombinant expressed proteins for arboviruses and experimental diagnostic procedures. In addition, the funds were aiming to facilitate a joint large meeting which was held towards the end of the award in Kunming, P.R. China between the 3-5 March 2015. This meeting was attended by representatives of China, Vietnam, the UK (Pirbright Institute) in addition to other invited countries including Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Myanmar, and Thailand. A list of action points was drawn up and all participants agreed that the meeting had been a great success and beyond expectations with all unanimously voting for a progression towards a regional network and the holding of future meetings to further enhance the formation of this network and to undertake specific training and surveillance tasks. |
| Exploitation Route | The results from this travel award grant encouraged establishing a regional south-east Asian Network of surveillance for arboviral diseases. This network now includes China, Vietnam, the UK, Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Myanmar, and Thailand. This network will help flagging any potential emergence of arboviral diseases which may represent a threat to the region and potentially to the rest of the world and feeding information to policy makers to help shaping specific funding opportunities. The outcomes of this travel award were beyond our expectations and prompted several potential ideas of collaborative links and research projects to be considered in the near future between the UK and other south-east Asian Countries. |
| Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink |
| Description | The work supported by this award flagged the importance of exchanging state of the art knowledge concerning surveillance/diagnostics of arboviral diseases. It also prompted establishing an international/regional network for studying/surveillance of important arboviral diseases such as Bluetongue. Among other actions, this network will feed future findings/information back to national/local policy making institutions to help shaping future funding and collaboration opportunities. |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Economic |