Author: Rachel Wood
Marek’s disease: researchers find fat is crucial for virus infection
Scientists at The Pirbright Institute have demonstrated that production and storage of fat is required for Marek’s disease virus (MDV) replication in chickens. Their research identifies new pathways that are involved in the development of the disease; they hope their findings will lead to control strategies to reduce virus spread. Marek’s disease is a major […]
OIE Global Conference on Aquatic Animal Health: collaboration key to overcoming challenges
More than 250 people representing 90 countries participated in the OIE Global Conference on Aquatic Animal Health, which was held in Santiago, Chile, 2 to 4 April 2019. The event highlighted the multiple opportunities for continued growth that the aquaculture sector has available to it and the need for collaboration between decision-makers, aquatic animal health […]
Tripartite Zoonoses Guide published
As global trade and travel expands, zoonotic diseases are increasingly posing concerns worldwide and new health challenges are emerging at the human-animal-environment interface. To face these threats, collaboration, coordination, communication, and concerted action between different sectors are needed, using a multisectoral, One Health approach. However, many countries lack the capacity to implement such collaboration. To […]
Pig disease workshop to focus on African swine fever
A workshop to improve coordination of research on pig diseases, in particular African swine fever (ASF), will be held in Beijing on 12 March 2019. Organized by the European Union, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), and the STAR-IDAZ International Research Consortium on Animal Health (IRC), the workshop will bring together experts in animal […]
Preclinical transmission of Foot-and-mouth disease virus studied in pigs
Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) spreads much more aggressively in pigs than previous research suggests, according to a study by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists. The study, published in Scientific Reports, shows that pigs infected with FMDV were highly contagious to other pigs just 24 hours after infection – long before showing any clinical signs […]
Study confirms experimental transmission of African swine fever virus through feed
Researchers at Kansas State University are exploring how African swine fever virus (ASFV) could spread in feed and feed ingredients. A study published in Emerging Infectious Diseases details the dose necessary to transmit the ASFV when pigs ingest virus-contaminated feed or liquid. “Although feed and feed ingredients are a less recognized transmission route for African […]
Re-emerged strain of Bluetongue virus remains a threat in Europe
Scientists at The Pirbright Institute have shown that the strain of Bluetongue virus serotype 8 (BTV-8) currently circulating in France poses a threat to susceptible animals in Europe, despite causing less clinical disease than the original BTV-8 strain responsible for the first UK bluetongue outbreak in 2007. The 2006-2009 European outbreak of BTV-8 was the […]
A single Influenza A virus protein can increase period of infection
Research led by scientists at The Pirbright Institute has shown how an Influenza A virus (IAV) accessory protein, PB1-F2, is able to shut down two pathways of the chicken immune response to increase the length of time the virus can be transmitted. The researchers say that the majority of avian IAV isolates are able to […]
Ministers promote digitalization of agriculture for efficient and sustainable food production
The agriculture ministers of 74 countries attended the 11th Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Conference on the occasion of the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) on 19 January 2019 to discuss how digitalization can strengthen the agricultural sector’s economic viability, sustainability, resource conservation, resilience and consumer orientation. The GFFA conference, organized by the German Federal […]
Launch of the ‘One Health Poultry Hub’
The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has announced the launch of the UKRI GCRF One Health Poultry Hub. The RVC is the lead organisation, with partners in Asia, Australia and Europe. Funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), this interdisciplinary Hub will address the need to meet rising demand […]