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Genotype I African swine fever virus isolated in China

Two non-haemadsorbing genotype I African swine fever virus isolates (HeN/ZZ-P1/21 & SD/DY-I/21) have been discovered in pig farms in Henan & Shandong provinces, China – posing a potential problem for control and prevention of ASF. The emergence of genotype I virus is in addition to the Georgia-07-like genotype II  ASFV with high virulence that has been prevalent in China since 2018. The isolation of the strains, including […]

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 […]

Avian influenza: study identifies high risk poultry trading practices in Vietnam

Scientists at The Pirbright Institute have found that the transmission of avian influenza viruses in Vietnam is influenced by the structure of live poultry trading networks. Their work has identified the groups that are most likely to employ trade practices that impact the risk of infection in chickens, which could better inform vaccination strategies in […]

Almost 5 million pigs lost to Asia’s ASF outbreak

Close to 5 million pigs in Asia have now died or been culled because of the spread of African swine fever (ASF), first detected in China in August 2018. As of August 2019, ASF is present in six Asian countries: Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, Lao PDR, Mongolia and Vietnam. The latest data provided by FAO […]

Machine learning to fight antibiotic resistance in farmed chickens

A new research project aims to improve the health of farmed chickens in China and reduce the risk of disease and antibiotic resistance transferring to human populations. The FARMWATCH project will use machine learning to find new ways to identify and pinpoint disease in poultry farms, reducing the need for antibiotic treatment and lowering the […]

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 […]

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 […]

Dogs play a key role in expansion of rabies in rural areas of China

Despite ongoing efforts to control transmission, rabies prevention remains a challenge in many developing countries, especially in rural areas of China where re-emerging rabies is under-reported due to a lack of sustained animal surveillance. Although dogs are known to be the primary reservoir and vector of human rabies in African and Asian countries, the epidemiology […]

Mutant H9N2 avian influenza viruses show enhanced zoonotic potential

Research led by The Pirbright Institute has shown that mutant influenza A(H9N2) viruses isolated from Pakistan are able to escape immune responses and adapt to infect humans. This could result in reduced vaccine efficiency in poultry and the possibility of human outbreaks. The researchers report in Emerging Infectious Diseases the discovery of small changes to […]

PPR virus threatens wild ungulates

A team of conservationists from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), FAO and the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, have published a letter in Science on the threat of Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) to conservation. PPR is a highly contagious viral disease of sheep and goats that is spreading into new […]