Animal researcher studies Influenza A virus in swine

Meet Giovana Ciacci Zanella

Giovana Ciacci Zanella grew up in Brazil under the strong leadership of her parents, both of whom are veterinary researchers. Her parents valued the idea of learning English as a second language and always supported Ciacci Zanella in her research journey. With their support, Ciacci Zanella was able to pursue a rewarding career in animal research and veterinary medicine.

“My mother, Janice Reis Ciacci Zanella, who is a renowned swine virologist in Brazil, was not only an encouragement in the past, but she still helps me with common laboratory questions and issues to this day,” Ciacci Zanella said.

Ciacci Zanella received a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Universidade de Passo Fundo in 2021. She is currently studying to obtain her Ph.D. in veterinary microbiology and preventive medicine at Iowa State University.

Ciacci Zanella has developed a profound admiration for animals and their vital connection to human beings and the surrounding environment. That passion for keeping our world in balance has fueled her drive to understand the pathogens that infect both humans and production animals and to create a positive impact on both animal and public health.  

Ciacci Zanella is currently participating in a research fellowship with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE).

The USDA ARS Research Participation Program provides opportunities for students, postgraduates, established scientists and faculty to participate in programs, projects and activities at ARS-designated facilities to help ARS solve agricultural problems of high national priority.  

Ciacci Zanella is part of the swine influenza team within the Virus and Prion Research Unit at the USDA’s National Animal Disease Center in Ames, Iowa. She is mentored by Amy Baker, Ph.D.

Through her fellowship, Ciacci Zanella has had the opportunity to research Influenza A virus (IAV) in swine. One of her most recent projects has centered on viruses that originated from the 2009 H1N1 human pandemic and are now being transmitted from humans to pigs.

ORISE programs are a great opportunity to become familiar with the environment of a federal research facility and discover what it is like to be an actual researcher.

“These human viruses cause respiratory disease and circulate very well in pigs. Every time these viruses replicate and transmit in the swine host, they can mutate and potentially jump back into humans,” Ciacci Zanella explained. “Controlling influenza circulation in humans is essential to controlling it in swine and vice-versa.”

She has also published a manuscript to Frontiers of Genome Editing that is about the protein, TMPRRS2, and gene editing tools. They found that piglets that were genetically modified to lack a specific protein (TMPRSS2) used by IAV to infect cells had less inflammation and lung lesions than the control piglets after inoculation.

Another area of her research looks at how a piglet’s early life — shaped by its mother’s antibodies and the stress of weaning — impacts its ability to become sick and shed the flu virus.

“Weaning is a very stressful period for the piglets; they also come into contact with humans and are mixed with other pigs that may carry influenza virus,” Ciacci Zanella said. “We wanted to determine whether this stage is critical for human-origin viruses to be introduced in pigs and how maternal immunity influences the replication and transmission of these viruses.”

Their findings showed that piglets that don’t have complete immunity against IAV and are stressed due to weaning replicated and shed higher amounts of virus than those that had antibodies and stayed with their mothers.

Ciacci Zanella is currently gearing up for an animal study that will investigate the immunogenicity and efficacy of a multivalent mRNA-Lipid Nanoparticle IAV in growing pigs.

“It is very difficult to control influenza A virus in commercial pig populations because of the diversity of viral lineages or clades that co-circulate and change throughout time,” Ciacci Zanella said. “Improving multivalent vaccines that are protective against distinct lineages will be beneficial to the swine industry and public health.” 

She has studied a variety of animal hosts, including ferrets and dairy cows. This includes one of the first-ever experiments on the effects of the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b in dairy cattle.  

When she is not actively conducting her own animal studies, Ciacci Zanella typically starts her day by checking on her cell cultures. The cells are vital for propagating influenza A viruses in the lab and detecting virus in test samples. She then convenes with her colleagues to determine where assistance is needed, whether that is in running laboratory assays or by aiding in animal-specific tasks such as tagging, bleeding, vaccinations and inoculation studies.  

Ciacci Zanella’s favorite days are the ones where she gets to spend time with the animals.  

“We have great containment facilities to run IAV challenge studies here and have facilities to house sows to produce piglets free of Influenza A antibodies for our studies,” she said. “Sometimes, I also help the animal caretakers with the breeding protocols and farrowing of baby piglets.” 

Beyond the hands-on opportunities in the lab and animal facilities, Ciacci Zanella sees another crucial aspect of being a researcher: sharing knowledge with the scientific community. Each day she sets aside time for writing, including manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals, presentations for seminars and posters for conferences.

“This research experience allows me to learn and participate in all of the stages of a research project: from the birth of the piglet that will be used in studies to the sharing of the data obtained after the study is completed.”

In addition to her research, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her chocolate Labrador retriever, Barley, as well as staying active in the gym. She has also spent time engaging with her colleagues outside the lab by organizing social gatherings.  

Upon the completion of her fellowship, Ciacci Zanella intends to continue in the field of veterinary microbiology and public health research. 

“ORISE programs are a great opportunity to become familiar with the environment of a federal research facility and discover what it is like to be an actual researcher,” Ciacci Zanella said.

The USDA ARS Research Participation Program is funded by the USDA and is administered through the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE). ORISE is managed for DOE by ORAU.