Evaluating the application of small-RNA in chickens for control of avian infectious bronchitis virus infection

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In 2020, Canada's poultry industry has an annual turnover of 176 million birds and >9.6 billion eggs andcontributed $7.7 billions to the national economy. A respiratory viral infection caused by infectious bronchitisvirus (IBV) is economically important for poultry industry in general and table egg layer industry in particular.The IBV replicates in young and adult chickens and the primary lesions are observed in the respiratory,reproductive and urinary systems depending on the infecting IBV strain. Consequently, IBV infections maylead to mortality in young chickens and reduced egg production and quality in layers, limiting the profitabilityof poultry production.For the control of clinical disease caused by IBV, live attenuated viral vaccines are available. The emergence ofnew "variant" and more heterogeneous IBV strains, has led to infectious bronchitis (IB) outbreaks invaccinated flocks resulting in significant production losses. This is due to the lack of development of crossprotective immunity. This research will have significant impacts on disease control strategies against IBV infection in poultry farms. The results of this project will introduce possible applications of a new generation of immune-stimulant agents as a safe and affordable product to modulate antiviral responses without affecting productivity. In addition, the results of this study introduce a new generation of adjuvants for vaccine development with higher efficacy, which will be proof of concept for numerous pathogens.