Date of Award
2020
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Honors Thesis
Department
Biology
First Advisor
Christopher Stobart
Abstract
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a negative-sense, single-strand RNA virus that affects the upper and lower respiratory system in humans. Currently, RSV is the leading cause of infant mortality worldwide, while also infecting target populations of the elderly and immunocompromised. Significant efforts towards vaccine development have been made due to limited therapeutic options, however, physical instabilities of RSV may hinder movement in vaccine development. We hypothesize that strain-specific differences in stability likely attribute to differences in RSV F protein, as proposed by previous studies about the intrinsically instability of RSV. A panel of recombinant RSV viruses were analyzed for strain-specific differences through the characterization of physical stability amongst RSV A and B strains that differed in viral attachment proteins G and F expression tested against various pH solutions. Minimal variations were observed between RSV strains when exposed to pH. This study will provide further information on the role of RSV F protein in virus stability and guidance on design of a live-attenuated RSV vaccine.
Recommended Citation
Nosek, Jenna, "Characterization of pH-based Inactivation of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)" (2020). Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection. 531.
https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/ugtheses/531