Category: News

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 […]

Study confirms pooled milk can be used for FMD surveillance

A case study undertaken by scientists at The Pirbright Institute has confirmed that milk obtained from in-line milk samplers on a large-scale dairy farm can be used to detect circulating Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) in cattle. Previous work carried out by the team had shown that it was possible to detect FMDV from the milk […]

Pandemic! A one health view of emerging infectious diseases – Webinar

This global interactive webinar will be held on 30 June 2020 (14.00-16.15 CET) and is focused on the role of veterinary sciences to cope with, and prevent, future animal and zoonotic pandemics, with emphasis on the lessons learnt from Covid-19. To register follow this link: http://bit.ly/3c8dC5q . The event, organised jointly by the Consultative Working […]

Virally vectored ASFV antigens protect pigs from developing severe disease

Researchers at The Pirbright Institute have developed a vectored vaccine, which uses a non-harmful virus (adenovirus prime and modified vaccinia Ankara boost) to deliver eight strategically selected genes from the African swine fever virus (ASFV) genome into pig cells. Once inside the cell, the genes produce viral proteins which primes the pig immune cells to […]

Phylogenetic analysis suggests accidental release as a potential cause of bluetongue re-emergence

Research published in PLOS Biology suggests that the recent re-emergence of Bluetongue virus (BTV) in France could have been caused by human activities, based on the virus’ unusual genetic makeup. In the study, led by researchers at the University of Glasgow (UK) with a consortium of European collaborators, the authors compared genomes of the virus […]

Universal FMDV test developed

A diagnostic test that can detect whether an animal has been infected by or vaccinated against any type of Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) has been developed by scientists at The Pirbright Institute and Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia Romagna (IZSLER). The test could be used in countries where foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks are […]

Avian influenza: recombinant antibodies reduce symptoms and virus shedding in chickens

Scientists at The Pirbright Institute have engineered synthetic antibody molecules that can be administered to poultry to reduce the symptoms of influenza, as well as decreasing the amount of virus they shed into the environment. These results suggest that there is potential for their use as immunotherapy treatments to reduce the burden of influenza in […]

Efforts to control PPRV should focus on herd management style, not age

A study in Tanzania explored the rate of Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) infection across ages and livestock management styles of sheep and goats, as well as in cattle, which do not express symptoms but can be infected by the virus. The study, published in the journal Viruses, provides insight into how to target […]

Genome-wide transcriptome study of African swine fever virus

Scientists from The Pirbright Institute and University College London (UCL) have mapped the expression of genes across the entire African swine fever virus (ASFV) genome, which has helped to establish their order of activation as well as uncovering new genes. In their study, published in the Journal of Virology, the researchers used next generation sequencing […]

Ear implant delivers anaplasmosis vaccine to cattle

Researchers at the Kansas State University, in collaboration with Iowa State University, have developed a new vaccine delivery platform to produce long-lasting protection against bovine anaplasmosis. The results of their study are published in the Journal of Animal Science. “Currently, a common strategy to control anaplasmosis is to provide mineral or feed containing the antibiotic […]