Author: Rachel Wood
Research aims to improve enzootic abortion vaccines
A vaccine being developed against ovine enzootic abortion by scientists at the Moredun Research Institute has shown promising results in laboratory trials, being able to protect against abortion caused by Chlamydia abortus without the risk of causing infection in the animal. The results of the study are published in Vaccines. Ovine enzootic abortion is a […]
Cattle herds tracked to determine risk of disease spread in East Africa
Scientists teamed with farmers from rural areas of Tanzania to track herds of cattle using satellite Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, to better understand how diseases can pass from one herd to another. The results of the study – led by the University of Glasgow and published in Scientific Reports – suggest that targeted interventions […]
Study identifies risk factors for spread of FMDV in Asia
An international project led by scientists in the World Reference Laboratory for Foot-and-Mouth Disease (WRLFMD) at The Pirbright Institute has tracked the evolution of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) over nearly 20 years to reveal how different factors affect its spread across countries of Western and Southern Asia. In their study, published in Molecular Biology and […]
OIE: Action needed to curb the spread of African swine fever in the Americas
Since 2018, African swine fever (ASF) has spread relentlessly, affecting more than 50 countries in Africa, Europe and Asia. Countries in the Americas Region are now also on alert, as the Dominican Republic has notified through the World Animal Health Information System (OIE-WAHIS) the reoccurrence of ASF after years of being free from the disease. […]
Improved poultry influenza vaccine provides rapid protection
A vaccine developed by researchers at The Pirbright Institute triggers a rapid immune response which protects chickens against signs of disease and reduces virus shedding. The researchers say the vaccine would also be easier and less costly to produce than the traditional influenza vaccines made in chicken eggs. Many poultry influenza vaccines protect birds from […]
Cocktail of recombinant proteins protects cattle against paratuberculosis
Scientists with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have developed an experimental vaccine to protect cattle from infection with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). Rather than use the cells of live but weakened or dead MAP, as has been done with past commercial vaccine formulations, ARS microbiologists Judy Stabel and John Bannantine set their sights […]
Tetramer-based analysis of FMDV segments could improve vaccine effectiveness
Researchers from The Pirbright Institute have identified new parts of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) that stimulate an immune response. Their findings, reported in Immunology, could be used to inform the design of improved vaccines. They also discovered that T helper cells were present in cattle samples four years after the animals had been vaccinated, indicating […]
OIE report indicates decreasing trend in antimicrobial use
The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) recently published its Fifth OIE Annual Report on Antimicrobial Agents Intended for Use in Animals. The report provides details on the global use of antimicrobial agents adjusted for animal biomass for 2017 and interprets the overall findings of the annual data collection on the use of antimicrobial agents […]
International expert panel to address the emergence and spread of zoonotic diseases
International organizations have come together to launch a One Health High-Level Expert Panel (OHHLEP) to improve understanding of how diseases with the potential to trigger pandemics emerge and spread. The inaugural meeting was held on 17th May. The panel will advise the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations […]
Study finds African buffalo and gazelle unlikely to sustain spread of PPRV
A collaborative study involving scientists from The Pirbright Institute, has revealed that African buffalo and Grant’s gazelle are unlikely to sustain circulation of peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV), improving prospects for disease eradication. The role of wild species in PPRV epidemiology is unclear, which is a knowledge gap for the Global Strategy for the […]