Early Zoonotic Threat Assessment Through Evaluating Animal Susceptibility to Influenza and Coronaviruses

Emerging respiratory viral pandemics frequently originate from animals and increasingly involve major livestock species as global demand for animal protein rises alongside human population growth. Recent events, including highly pathogenic avian influenza (bird flu) in cattle, MERS‑CoV in camelids, and SARS‑CoV‑2 in deer, demonstrate that food production animals with sustained human contact can act as silent virus reservoirs. These hosts may facilitate virus adaptation and onward transmission to humans, presenting significant public health risks. Assessing the susceptibility of alpaca, cattle, and deer to influenza viruses and coronaviruses is therefore a public health priority. Host susceptibility to infection is fundamentally dependent on virus-receptor interactions. This project will characterise host-virus binding in the respiratory tract of these species using receptor immunohistochemistry and virus binding histochemistry. Recombinant viral proteins from selected pandemic‑priority influenza A viruses and coronaviruses will be applied to respiratory tissues to quantify species‑ and tissue‑specific binding profiles. The outcomes will identify viruses with unrecognised spillover potential and generate actionable early warning data to inform targeted surveillance and pandemic preparedness strategies.This work builds on an established collaboration with the University of Bristol on emerging equine influenza viruses and extends comparative host range analyses to additional animal species of pandemic importance.