Author: Rachel Wood

Adaptability of avian influenza viruses poses threat to poultry

New insights from a study of the 2016/2017 avian influenza outbreak in Eurasia show how highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses – which are likely to cause severe disease in chickens – can be transmitted from wild migrating bird populations to domestic flocks and back again. These viruses can readily exchange genetic material with other low […]

Infectious bronchitis virus: increasing vaccine heat resilience could improve performance

Studies from The Pirbright Institute and the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute show that two vaccines against specific strains of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) do not offer complete protection against a third strain, and that this may be partly down to the temperature range the vaccine virus can survive in. Commercial IBV vaccines are currently […]

Drug resistant nematodes cost European livestock industry millions each year

A European-wide assessment of the economic burden of gastrointestinal nematodes, Fasciola hepatica (common liver fluke) and Dictyocaulus viviparus (bovine lungworm) infections to the ruminant livestock industry is reported in Preventive Veterinary Medicine. The study estimated that parasitic worms cost the European livestock industry more than €1.8 billion per year, with drug-resistance costing at least €38 […]

Commercially available cell line rapidly detects African swine fever virus

Scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have identified a new way to detect the presence of live African swine fever virus (ASFV) that minimizes the need for samples from live animals and provides easier access to veterinary labs that need to diagnose the virus. They report in the journal […]

H7N9 avian influenza viruses: mutations found to increase threat to poultry, but reduce pandemic potential

Mutations in the H7N9 avian influenza virus increase its replication rate and stability in avian cells, but reduce its preference for infecting human cells, a study from The Pirbright Institute has found. The results show that outbreaks in birds caused by strains with these mutations could pose a lower risk to human health, while remaining […]

Global action needed to stop the spread of African swine fever

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have launched a joint initiative for the Global Control of African swine fever. African swine Fever (ASF) has become a major crisis for the pork industry, causing massive losses in pig populations and generating drastic economic consequences. Currently […]

Database of infectious cattle diseases in East Africa

A database of East African cattle health has been developed over three years by an international team of researchers led by the Roslin Institute. The Infectious Diseases of East African Livestock (IDEAL) database, developed from a study of more than 500 East African calves, gives users free access to extensive data on genetics and physical […]

IBDV VP4 protein dampens poultry immune response

Work carried out by scientists at The Pirbright Institute has revealed that differences in virulence between strains of Infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) may be partly down to changes in the VP4 protein. Their findings, published in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, may help explain why very virulent (vv) strains cause high mortality rates […]

Additives may help mitigate the risk of ASFV transmission through feed

Researchers at Kansas State University have found that chemical feed additives may potentially serve as mitigants for reducing the risk of introduction and transmission of African swine fever virus (ASFV) through feed. Their findings are published in Transboundary and Emerging Diseases. The research team, headed by Megan Niederwerder, assistant professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology […]

Burden of zoonotic tuberculosis may be underestimated

The number of human tuberculosis (TB) cases that are due to transmission from animals, as opposed to human-to-human transmission, may be much higher than previously estimated, according to an international team of researchers. They report in The Lancet Microbe that, in addition to Mycobacterium bovis, other members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), such as […]