College of Veterinary Medicine

Jürgen A. Richt

Regents and University Distinguished Professor & KBA Eminent Scholar

Director
Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD), www.ceezad.org

Director
NIH COBRE Center on Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (CEZID) www.k-state.edu/cezid

DVM (1985), University of München, Germany
PhD Virology (1988), University of Giessen, Germany

Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
Regents Distinguished Professor, Diagnostic Medicine Pathobiology
Office: Mosier Hall K-224-B
Phone: (785) 532 -2793
Fax: (785) 532 3373
Email: jricht@vet.k-state.edu

Research

Dr. Jürgen Richt came to Kansas State University in 2008 as the Regents and University Distinguished Professor and Kansas Bioscience Eminent Scholar. In 2010, he became Director of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD; www.ceezad.org) and in 2020 Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Center on Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (CEZID; www.k-state.edu/cezid).

Dr. Richt received his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from the University of Munich and a PhD in Virology and Immunology from the University of Giessen, both in Germany. After coming to the United States in 1989, he completed three years of postdoctoral/residency studies at The Johns Hopkins University and later served for eight years as a Veterinary Medical Officer at the National Animal Disease Center (USDA-ARS) in Ames, Iowa. He has edited several books, obtained several patents, published more than 330 peer-reviewed manuscripts and raised more than $65 million in grants for veterinary research.

Dr. Richt is a pioneer in veterinary science, most notably in the “One Health” field. His work on high-consequence pathogens with zoonotic and transboundary potential led to strategies to identify, control and/or eradicate such agents. His basic and applied research includes studies on animal influenza viruses (swine, bat and avian), animal prion diseases including bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), Rift Valley Fever virus (RVFV), African Swine fever virus (ASFV), Mpox virus (MPXV), SARS-CoV-2 and Borna Disease virus (BDV).

Dr. Richt established the first reverse genetics system for swine influenza virus (SIV) and made seminal contributions to the development of a modified live SIV vaccine (“Ingelvac Provenza™”) as well as to understanding the virulence of the reconstructed 1918 “Spanish Flu” virus in livestock. Presently, the Richt Lab is developing knock-out pigs that are less susceptible to SIV infections using CRISPR-Cas9 technology in order to protect both animal and human health. He also developed a Newcastle Disease virus-vectored vaccine for highly pathogenic avian Influenza (HPAI), which is mass applicable.

Dr. Richt identified an atypical BSE case with a causative mutation in the prion protein gene (“genetic BSE”), used gene-editing approaches to develop the first prion protein knock-out cattle that are resistant to prion infection, and provided valuable information on host range of animal prions essential for risk analysis.

Dr. Richt’s RVFV work led to the development of novel domestic and wild ruminant models for RVF and a safe, efficacious, and DIVA-compatible subunit vaccine that is presently undergoing USDA licensure. For ASFV, he is developing subunit and modified live virus vaccine candidates as well as Point-of-Need diagnostics (sold as “PenCheckTM”) to protect swine from this devastating disease. In the past few years, he worked on the establishment of preclinical animal models for SARS-CoV-2 to determine the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics, and the susceptibility of livestock species to Mpox virus.

As founding Director of the DHS CEEZAD and the NIH CEZID Centers, he is supporting NIH, DHS and USDA in protecting public health and U.S. agricultural systems from devastating animal and zoonotic diseases. He is editor-in-chief for Virus Genes and serves on editorial boards for other scientific journals, among them Advances in Virus Research, Emerging Microbes and Infections, and Animal Diseases, among others.

In 2011, Dr. Richt received the Pfizer Animal Health Award for Research Excellence. In 2018, Dr. Richt was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was recipient of the 2021 Excellence in Research Award from the American Academy of Veterinary Medical Colleges. That same year, Dr. Richt was named winner of the Dolph Simons Award for Biomedical Research by the University of Kansas. He is an extraordinary professor at the University of Pretoria, and has received an A rating from the National Research Foundation of South Africa.

Selected Publications

Complete List of Published work in MyBibliography: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/1zK1knbx3FQkC/bibliography/47960468/public/?sort=date&direction=ascending

  1. Jingjiao Ma, Jinhwa Lee, Haixia Liu, Ignacio Mena, A. Sally Davis, Sun Young Sunwoo, Yuekun Lang, Michael Duff, Igor Morozov, Yuhao Li, Jianmei Yang, Adolfo García-Sastre, Juergen A. Richt, Wenjun Ma. Newcastle disease virus-based H5 influenza vaccine protects chickens from lethal challenge with a highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza virus. NPJ Vaccines, in press.
  2. Yolanda Revilla, Daniel Pérez-Núñez and Juergen A. Richt. ASFV biology and vaccine approaches. Adv. Virus Res., in press.
  3. Haley NJ, Rielinger R, Davenport KA, O'Rourke K, Mitchell G, Richt JA. Estimating chronic wasting disease susceptibility in cervids using real-time quaking-induced conversion. J Gen Virol. 2017 Nov;98(11):2882-2892.
  4. Faburay B, LaBeaud AD, McVey DS, Wilson WC, Richt JA. Current Status of Rift Valley Fever Vaccine Development. Vaccines (Basel). 2017 Sep 19;5(3).
  5. Sánchez EG, Riera E, Nogal M, Gallardo C, Fernández P, Bello-Morales R, López-Guerrero JA, Chitko-McKown CG, Richt JA, Revilla Y. Phenotyping and susceptibility of established porcine cells lines to African Swine Fever Virus infection and viral production. Sci Rep. 2017 Sep 4;7(1):10369.
  6. Yilmaz H, Karakullukcu A, Turan N, Cizmecigil UY, Yilmaz A, Ozkul AA, Aydin O, Gunduz A, Mete M, Zeyrek FY, Kirazoglu TT, Richt JA, Kocazeybek B. Genotypes of hepatitis a virus in Turkey: first report and clinical profile of children infected with sub-genotypes IA and IIIA. BMC Infect Dis. 2017 Aug 11;17(1):561.
  7. Haley NJ, Richt JA. Evolution of Diagnostic Tests for Chronic Wasting Disease, a Naturally Occurring Prion Disease of Cervids. Pathogens. 2017 Aug 5;6(3).
  8. Danqi B, Li Z, Liu Q, Richt JA. H7N9 avian influenza A virus in China: a short report on its circulation, drug resistant mutants and novel antiviral drugs. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2017 Aug;15(8):723-727.
  9. Mancera Gracia JC, Van den Hoecke S, Richt JA, Ma W, Saelens X, Van Reeth K. A reassortant H9N2 influenza virus containing 2009 pandemic H1N1 internal-protein genes acquired enhanced pig-to-pig transmission after serial passages in swine.Sci Rep. 2017 May 2;7(1):1323.
  10. Lee J, Yu H, Li Y, Ma J, Lang Y, Duff M, Henningson J, Liu Q, Li Y, Nagy A, Bawa B, Li Z, Tong G, Richt JA, Ma W. Impacts of different expressions of PA-X protein on 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus replication, pathogenicity and host immune responses.Virology. 2017 Apr; 504:25-35.
  11. Yilmaz H, Tekelioglu BK, Gurel A, Bamac OE, Ozturk GY, Cizmecigil UY, Altan E, Aydin O, Yilmaz A, Berriatua E, Helps CR, Richt JA, Turan N. Frequency, clinicopathological features and phylogenetic analysis of feline morbillivirus in cats in Istanbul, Turkey. J Feline Med Surg. 2017 Dec;19(12):1206-1214.
  12. Yang J, Lee J, Ma J, Lang Y, Nietfeld J, Li Y, Duff M, Li Y, Yang Y, Liu H, Zhou B, Wentworth DE, Richt JA, Li Z, Ma W. Pathogenicity of modified bat influenza virus with different M genes and its reassortment potential with swine influenza A virus. J Gen Virol. 2017 Apr;98(4):577-584.
  13. Bian J, Khaychuk V, Angers RC, Fernández-Borges N, Vidal E, Meyerett-Reid C, Kim S, Calvi CL, Bartz JC, Hoover EA, Agrimi U, Richt JA, Castilla J, Telling GC. Prion replication without host adaptation during interspecies transmissions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 Jan 31;114(5):1141-1146.
  14. van Doremalen N, Hijazeen ZS, Holloway P, Al Omari B, McDowell C, Adney D, Talafha HA, Guitian J, Steel J, Amarin N, Tibbo M, Abu-Basha E, Al-Majali AM, Munster VJ, Richt JA. High Prevalence of Middle East Respiratory Coronavirus in Young Dromedary Camels in Jordan. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2017 Feb;17(2):155-159.
  15. Faburay B, Wilson WC, Gaudreault NN, Davis AS, Shivanna V, Bawa B, Sunwoo SY, Ma W, Drolet BS, Morozov I, McVey DS, Richt JA. 2016. A Recombinant Rift Valley Fever Virus Glycoprotein Subunit Vaccine Confers Full Protection against Rift Valley Fever Challenge in Sheep. Sci Rep. 6: 27719. doi: 10.1038/srep27719. PMID:27296136
  16. Wilson WC, Davis AS, Gaudreault NN, Faburay B, Trujillo JD, Shivanna V, Sunwoo SY, Balogh A, Endalew A, Ma W, Drolet BS, Ruder MG, Morozov I, McVey DS, Richt JA. 2016. Experimental Infection of Calves by Two Genetically-Distinct Strains of Rift Valley Fever Virus. Viruses. 8(5). pii: E145. doi: 10.3390/v8050145. PMID: 27223298.
  17. Nagy A, Lee J, Mena I, Henningson J, Li Y, Ma J, Duff M, Li Y, Lang Y, Yang J, Abdallah F, Richt J, Ali A, García-Sastre A, Ma W. 2016. Recombinant Newcastle disease virus expressing H9 HA protects chickens against heterologous avian influenza H9N2 virus challenge. Vaccine 34:2537-45.
  18. Rao Q, Richt JA, Hsieh YP. 2016. Immunoassay for the Detection of Animal Central Nervous Tissue in Processed Meat and Feed Products. J. Agric. Food. Chem. 64: 3661-68.
  19. Haley N, Siepker C, Greenlee J, Richt JA. 2016. Limited amplification of chronic wasting disease prions in the peripheral tissues of intracerebrally inoculated cattle. J. Gen. Virol. doi: 10.1099/jgv.0.000438.[Epub ahead of print]. PMID:27031704
  20. Balzli C, Lager K, Vincent A, Gauger P, Brockmeier S, Miller L, Richt JA, Ma W, Suarez D, Swayne DE. 2016. Susceptibility of swine to H5 and H7 low pathogenic avian influenza viruses. Influenza Other Respir. Viruses 10:346-52.
  21. Moore SJ, Smith JD, Greenlee MH, Nicholson EM, Richt JA, Greenlee JJ. 2016. Comparison of Two US Sheep Scrapie Isolates Supports Identification as Separate Strains. Vet. Pathol. pii: 0300985816629712. [Epub ahead of print]. PMID: 26936223
  22. Artiaga BL, Yang G, Hackmann TJ, Liu Q, Richt JA, Salek-Ardakani S, Castleman WL, Lednicky JA, Driver JP. 2016. α-Galactosylceramide protects swine against influenza infection when administered as a vaccine adjuvant. Sci. Rep. 6:23593.
  23. Haley NJ, Siepker C, Hoon-Hanks LL, Mitchell G, Walter WD, Manca M, Monello RJ, Powers JG, Wild MA, Hoover EA, Caughey B, Richt JA. 2016. Seeded Amplification of Chronic Wasting Disease Prions in Nasal Brushings and Recto-anal Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissues from Elk by Real-Time Quaking-Induced Conversion. J. Clin. Microbiol. 54:1117-1126.
  24. Haley NJ, Siepker C, Walter WD, Thomsen BV, Greenlee JJ, Lehmkuhl AD, Richt JA. 2016. Antemortem Detection of Chronic Wasting Disease Prions in Nasal Brush Collections and Rectal Biopsy Specimens from White-Tailed Deer by Real-Time Quaking-Induced Conversion. J. Clin. Microbiol. 54: 1108-1116.
  25. Faburay, B, Gaudreault, NN, Liu, Q., Davis, AS, Shivanna, V, Sunwoo, SY, Lang, Y, Morozov, I, Ruder, M, Drolet, B, McVey, DS, Ma, W, Wilson, W, Richt, JA. 2016. Development of a sheep challenge model for Rift Valley fever. Virology 489:128-140.