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Respiratory tract infections are particularly severe in early life and we and others have shown that the nature of the innate responses, i.e. the produced neonatal cytokines and their pathways (type I interferon) and the innate cell types, in particular macrophages, play a major role in the neonatal sensitivity to infection. We are investigating the innate response mechanisms and their genetic bases associated with the fragility to the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in young mice and cattle. We are also deciphering the mechanisms involved in the respiratory tract primo-colonization by the microbiota and its effect on RSV susceptibility, and we develop immunomodulation strategies based on the pulmonary microbiota manipulation both to control the viral replication and to avoid the detrimental immune sensitization induced by the virus.

Neonates are particularly sensitive to respiratory viral infections and they respond to vaccines differently from adults, due to young age immunity biases and interferences with maternal antibodies. In the V2I team, we develop strategies to vaccinate neonates in the calves and we study the mechanisms involved in the vaccine responses in young age. In particular, we use original protein structures preserving the epitopes’ native conformation to vaccinate calves against the Respiratory Syncytial Virus and by-pass the interferences of maternal antibodies.

Collaborations: JF Eleouet (BMP-VIM), B. Correia (EPFL, CH), JF Valarcher (SLU, Sweden), G Taylor (The Pirbright Inst, UK), O. Bourry (Anses-Ploufragan), E. Fossum (U-Oslo, Norway), Vaccibody (U-Oslo, Norway), S. Graham (The Pirbright Inst, UK), M. Thomas (Micalis-Jouy), F. Laurent & A. Remot (ISP-Nouzilly), D. Boichard & H Jammes (GABI & BREED-Jouy), G. Foucras & G. Meyer (UMR1225 IHAP-Toulouse), B. Pain & F. Archer (SBRI & IPVC, Lyon, Fr).