Specialist publications
What SPF and farm pigs teach us about protective immunity against African swine fever
The SPF-IVI pigs: to study their immune response, the IVI has bred pigs for many years under exceptional experimental sanitary conditions characterised by the absence of swine pathogens. This special sanitary statute is associated with a particularly naïve immune system with a response to ASF virus infection that has enabled fundamental advances described in this project.
Studies on the stability of H5N1 influenza viruses in raw milk products
An infection of dairy cows with the H5N1 avian influenza virus was first observed in the USA in 2024. The milk of the infected animals contained large quantities of infectious viruses.
Can the Mpox (Monkeypox) virus spread in the human brain?
Can the monkeypox virus spread in the human brain? Researchers have discovered that the monkeypox virus (MPXV) can spread efficiently in brain organoids, leading to neuronal cell death.
Ewe-to-Lamb Transmission of Wesselsbron Virus: A Neglected Flavivirus in Focus
This study reveals a previously unknown mode of transmission of WSLV from lactating ewes to their lambs, highlighting an unrecognized risk for public and animal health associated with consumption of raw milk products. It also shows for the first time that strains of WSLV have different tropisms for the liver or brain.
Novel recombinant vaccines provide improved protection against influenza in piglets
Chronic infection of pig herds with influenza A viruses is difficult to control using commercial vaccines based on inactivated influenza viruses. This study therefore sought to compare two new candidate vaccines with inactivated influenza vaccines.
Evaluation of a novel vaccination strategy against influenza in the pig model
Live-attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIVs) offer many advantages over the commonly used inactivated influenza vaccines. For example, they are able to induce a mucosal immune response that can prevent infection of the respiratory tract by virulent influenza viruses early in the chain of infection. However, it is not always easy to strike an optimal balance between satisfactory attenuation of the live vaccine and its immunogenicity. In an article now published in PLOS Pathogens, researchers from the IVI and the University of Bern show that both the safety of a live-attenuated vaccine and the induced immune response can be enhanced by a novel prime/boost strategy. The article impressively demonstrates that pigs immunised in this way develop sterilising immunity against infection with homologous influenza virus. This new vaccination strategy is therefore a promising approach for improved control of influenza outbreaks in humans and animals.
Research project: vaccination of zoo birds against highly pathogenic avian influenza
Avian influenza : in order to test this promising, innovative vaccine for the protection of zoo birds, a joint research project has been carried out by Bern Animal Park, Basel Zoo and the Institute of Virology and Immunology IVI. The aim was to show that endangered wild bird species kept in zoos can be protected effectively, thus guaranteeing their welfare.
All of the IVI's scientific publications since 2014 can be found here