Farmscape for August 18, 2023
| Full Interview 13:54 | Listen  |
Researchers with the University of Montreal are using molecules secreted by an infectious bacterial agent to develop new antiviral drugs to treat viral infections. While exploring the interactions between the virus responsible for PRRS and other disease-causing pathogens, researchers with the University of Montreal discovered that molecules secreted by Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae inhibit the replication of the PRRS virus. Dr. Carl Gagnon, a professor with the University of Montreal and a member of the swine and poultry infectious disease research center, says with support from Swine Innovation Porc scientists are exploring the mechanisms involved with an end goal being the control of PRRS.
Quote-Dr. Carl Gagnon-University of Montreal:
It’s very important to reduce the impact of PRRS viruses and to reduce the infection of PRRS. Of course, if we have pharmaceutical products that can be applied during an outbreak, it could have a very very positive impact. Every drug has to be prescribed by a veterinary practitioner but, at the end, the end user and the swine industry are who will benefit. If it can save animals, then less mortality in a barn will present during an outbreak and if you are able to control the reduction of abortion in pregnant sows then it’s a big advantage. So, it will be positive for the producer, for the overall swine industry but we’re not there yet.
I hope you understand that. We still have to continue to work on that. What was the most interesting at the moment was that we were able to find different molecules from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae that have an antiviral effect and we just started to investigate that.
Dr. Gagnon notes these types of molecule, known as nucleoside analogs, are already found in antiviral drugs used to treat disease in humans.
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