Dr Charles K. Nfon, D.M.V., Ph. D.

Research Scientist, Head - Vesicular Diseases Unit/ FAO Reference Centre for foot-and-mouth disease

Manage diagnostic and research activities on foot-and-mouth disease and other vesicular diseases of domestic animals.
Lead activities of the FAO Reference Centre for foot-and-mouth disease and other vesicular diseases

Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Current research and/or projects

Development/improvement of laboratory diagnostic assays for vesicular diseases (foot-and-mouth disease, swine vesicular disease, vesicular stomatitis, Senecavirus A)
Evaluation of new sample matrices for diagnosis of vesicular diseases in swine
Evaluation of emergency/improved vaccines and vaccine matching assays for foot-and-mouth disease
Development of field deployable diagnostic tests for foot-and-mouth disease for use in Southern Africa

Education and awards

Postdoctoral Fellow (2008-2009): Immunology Laboratory, Hepatology Section, Department of Internal Medicine, Health Sciences Centre, University of Manitoba
Postdoctoral Fellow (2005-2008): Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Orient PT., NY. Immunopathogenesis of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) infection
Ph.D (2004): Liverpool School of Tropocal Medicine, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom
D.V.M (1999): University of Ibadan, Nigeria

International experience and/or work

Member of the Global Foot-and-Mouth Disease Research Alliance (GFRA): Represent the agency and part of the scientific committee for the 2017 GFRA conference in South Korea
Member of the North American Foot-and-Mouth Disease Vaccine Bank technical committee and the International Strategic Vaccine Reserve Network
Paticipate at OIE/FAO FMD Reference Laboratories Network Annual Meetings
Research collaborations with international partners in Botswana, Australia, USA, New Zealand

Key publications

Senthilkumaran C, Yang M, Bittner H, Ambagala A, Lung O, Zimmerman J, Giménez-Lirola LG, Nfon C ( 2017): Detection of genome, antigen, and antibodies in oral fluids from pigs infected with foot-and-mouth disease virus. Can J Vet Res.
Senthilkumaran C, Bittner H, Ambagala A, Lung O, Babiuk S, Yang M, Zimmerman J, Giménez-Lirola L G and Nfon C (2016): Use of oral fluids for detection of virus and antibodies in pigs infected with swine vesicular disease virus. Transbound Emerg Dis.
Ambagala A, Fisher M, Goolia M, Nfon C, Lung O (2017): Field-deployable reverse transcription-insulated isothermal PCR (RT-iiPCR) assay for rapid and sensitive detection of foot-and-mouth disease virus. Transbound Emerg Dis.
Bronsvoort M, Handel IG, Nfon CK, Sorensen KJ, Malirat V, Bergmann I, Tanya VN and Morgan KL (2016): Redefining the "carrier" state for foot-and-mouth disease from the dynamics of virus persistence in endemically affected cattle populations. Scientific Reports. 6:29059. doi: 10.1038/srep29059.
Kittelberger R, Nfon C, Swekla K, Zhang Z, Hole K, Bittner H, Salo T, Goolia M, Embury-Hyatt C, Bueno R, Hannah M, Swainsbury R, O'Sullivan C, Spence R, Clough R, McFadden A, Rawdon T, Alexandersen S (2015): Foot-and-Mouth Disease in Red Deer - Experimental Infection and Test Methods Performance. Transbound Emerg Dis.
Morgan KL, Handel IG, Tanya VN, Hamman SM, Nfon C, Bergman IE, Malirat V, Sorensen KJ, de C Bronsvoort BM (2014): Accuracy of herdsmen reporting versus serologic testing for estimating foot-and-mouth disease prevalence. Emerg Infect Dis
Nfon C. K., Toka F. N., Kenney M., Pacheco J. and Golde W. T. (2010): Depressed plasmocytoid dendritic cell function coincides with lymphopenia and viremia during foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) infection. Viral Immunology.
Toka F. N., Nfon C. K., Dawson H. and Golde W. T. (2009): Natural killer cell dysfunction during acute infection with foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). Journal of Clinical and Vaccine Immunology
Toka F. N., Nfon C. K., Dawson H. and Golde W. T. (2009): Accessory cell mediated activation of porcine NK cells by TLR7 and TLR8 agonists. Journal of Clinical and Vaccine Immunology.
Toka F.N., Nfon C.K., Dawson H, Mark Estes D and Golde WT (2009): Activation of Porcine Natural Killer (NK) Cells and Lysis of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus (FMDV) Infected Cells. Journal of Interferon and Cytokine Research.
Nfon C. K, Dawson H, Toka F., and Golde W. (2008): Langerhans cells in porcine skin. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology.
Golde W., Nfon C. K. and Toka F. N. (2008): Immune evasion during foot and mouth infection of swine. Immunological Reviews. 225(1): 85-95
Nfon C. K, Toka F., Ferman G. and Golde W. (2008): Interferon alpha production by multiple dendritic cells is inhibited during acute infection with foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). Viral Immunology
Bronsvoort B. M., Anderson J., Corteyn P., Hamblin P., Kitching R. P., Nfon C., Tanya V. N., and Morgan K. L. (2006): Geographical and age-stratified distributions of foot-and-mouth disease virus-seropositive and probang-positive cattle herds in the Adamawa Province of Cameroon. Veterinary Record. 159(10):299-308.
Bronsvoort B.M., Nfon C, Hamman S.M., Tanya V.N., Kitching R.P. and Morgan K.L. (2004). Risk factors for herdsman-reported foot-and-mouth disease in the Adamawa Province of Cameroon. Preventive Veterinary Medicine. 66(1-4):127-39.
Bronsvoort B. M. de C., Radford A. D., Tanya V. N., Nfon C., Kitching R. P. and Morgan K. L. (2004). Molecular epidemiology of Foot-and-Mouth Disease viruses in the Adamawa province of Cameroon. Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 42(5):2186-96.
Bronsvoort B M de C , Tanya V N, Kitching, R P, Nfon C, Saidou, H M, Morgan, K L. (2003) Foot and Mouth Disease and livestock husbandry practices in the Adamawa Province of Cameroon. Tropical Animal Health and Production. 35(6):491-507.