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Cost of PPR vaccination in Ethiopia estimated

A study led by The Pirbright Institute has created the first framework for determining the true cost of peste des petits ruminants (PPR) vaccine campaigns based on case studies in Ethiopia. The new approach to cost estimation is important for the Global Control and Eradication Strategy launched by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and […]

Integration of livestock and wildlife may reduce the abundance of ticks in East Africa

A study, reported in the journal Nature Sustainability, has found that the integration of livestock and wildlife in a large region of central Kenya (Laikipia County) can have ecological benefits, reducing the abundance of ticks and improving forage. “Laikipia County hosts 10 percent of Kenya’s wildlife, but none of the country’s national parks or preserves,” […]

Project aims to boost productivity and health of village chickens

Adopting a more local and flexible approach to sustainable development could be key to improving the productivity of small-scale chicken farms in Ethiopia, according to a study published in Nature Sustainability. The research was led by the University of Liverpool, in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, University of Nottingham, the Royal Veterinary College, Wageningen […]

Adaptation of Ugandan cattle to East Coast fever: landscape genomics analysis

Researchers have investigated the genetics of tolerance to theileriosis in indigenous cattle from Uganda. They first produced a map showing the areas of Uganda where the disease is most prevalent. The map is the result of a novel method compiling epidemiological data collected from 823 indigenous cattle along with their location. Using an environmental genomics […]

Study traces FMDV escape from Indian subcontinent

The seven different serotypes of Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) can be split further into lineages which normally exist in specific geographical areas or ‘pools’. Over the past five years, the geographical range of a serotype O lineage, named Ind-2001, has dramatically expanded into many countries in Asia and North Africa. Pirbright Institute researchers from the […]

Peste des petits ruminants: model of transmission and elimination in Ethiopia

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is targeted for eradication through mass vaccination campaigns. While an efficacious vaccine exists, the level of PPR virus (PPRV) transmission in animal populations is unknown. By combining the results from a nationwide serological survey with a dynamic model simulating viral spread, researchers have estimated viral transmission potential in Ethiopia, where […]

Ruminant livestock are important hosts of Leptospira in northern Tanzania

Leptospirosis, which affects more than one million people worldwide each year, is known to be transmitted to humans from a wide range of animals. Now, researchers reporting in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases have discovered that more than 7 percent of the cattle and 1 percent of sheep and goats in local slaughterhouses in northern Tanzania […]

Two new genetic groups of Foot-and-mouth disease virus identified

Researchers from The Pirbright Institute have examined the genetic material of Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) samples collected from eastern and southern Africa, and discovered two novel virus groups. Their findings are published in the journal Viruses. FMD viruses are categorised into seven different serotypes, out of which serotypes O, A and Southern African Territories (SAT) […]

Existing Initiatives in Working Group Fields

A new report mapping current initiatives in the fields of the IRC priority topics has just been published by the Secretariat to the IRC. Initiatives in this case refer to existing research networks/alliances which enables research teams to successfully work together and facilitate communication/collaboration/sharing reagents and resources. The aim was to gather and compile documents […]

Characterization of Mycobacterium bovis in Mozambique

The most extensive study to date of the genetic diversity of Mycobacterium bovis isolates from Mozambique is reported in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Bovine tuberculosis (BTB) is of global concern for multiple reasons – the economic impact on animal production, the potential spread to wildlife, and the risk of transmission to humans. While BTB is […]