Iowa State will be teaming up with other research institutions to take new steps in the nation’s biodefense effort.

A pathogen that isn’t typically researched is now the subject for concern, as it could be used in a bioterrorism attack, said James Roth, distinguished professor of veterinary microbiology and preventive medicine.

Tularemia is one of six pathogens identified as the most dangerous or most likely to be used as a bioterrorism agent, Roth said. The other pathogens in this group of Category A biodefense agents include anthrax, botulism, plague, smallpox and the Ebola virus, he said.

“Before 9/11 there wasn’t as much concern about these diseases,” Roth said. “Suddenly they’ve gone from a low priority to a high priority for the government.”

The research could lead to the establishment of a Regional Center for Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research.

The grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is a planning grant, he said.

The $1.47 million planning grant will fund start-up costs for seven to 10 projects at the University of Iowa, the main recipient of the grant, and the collaborating institutions, Roth said.

In addition to Iowa State, the collaborating institutions are the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Iowa City, the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan. and Wichita State University in Wichita, Kan., he said.

“Iowa State is really leading in this area,” said Claire Andreasen, chair and professor of veterinary pathology. “That’s why Iowa State was invited to participate in this research.”

Biodefense encompasses diseases that affect people, animals or plants, she said. The Plant Sciences Institute and the Center for Food Security and Public Health also conduct biodefense research at Iowa State.

Individual Iowa State researchers have shared expertise and have put in research proposals with University of Iowa researchers before, Andreasen said.

The research funded by this planning grant is different because it is a united effort focused on specific pathogens, she said.

“This [research] will bring together a much larger group of scientists to work on specific problems involving biodefense and emerging infectious diseases,” Andreasen said.

At Iowa State, researchers will study how the pathogen that causes tularemia interacts with lung immune cells, he said. Other collaborating sites will study the bacteria’s interactions with different cells in the immune system, he said.

“These bacteria are not killed easily and we want to know why,” Roth said. “When the immune system should be able to kill it, the bacteria has some tricks it uses.”

Tularemia can be fatal, but only if untreated. Antibiotics can halt the bacterial infection, which causes high fever and flu-like symptoms, Roth said.

The long-term goals of the research include developing treatments, more effective methods of diagnosis and vaccines, Roth said.

“The basic research enhances the prospects for all of those things,” he said.

Understanding the basic biology of the pathogen will be a step forward, but it takes many years to develop a vaccine, he said.

“If it were that easy, there would already be a vaccine,” he said.