News
Workshop on IRC Research Roadmaps: Shortening the Innovation Pipeline, 13 December 2018
A workshop was held on the 13th December in Washington DC which brought together research program owners across the public and private sectors in the US to discuss how they can engage with the IRC’s research roadmaps and move forward collectively to shorten the innovation pipeline and tackle disease in the livestock sectors. A high-level […]
Genetically modified pigs resist infection with Classical swine fever virus
Researchers have developed genetically modified pigs that are protected from Classical swine fever virus (CSFV), according to a study published in PLOS Pathogens by Hongsheng Ouyang of Jilin University, and colleagues. Ouyang and colleagues generated CSFV-resistant pigs by combining the gene-editing tool CRISPR/Cas9 with RNA interference (RNAi), a technique that silences gene expression. The researchers […]
EU report on trends and sources of zoonoses
There were only minor fluctuations in reported cases of three main zoonotic diseases in the EU in 2017 compared to 2016. The number of reported cases of salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis has remained stable over the past five years, although listeriosis continues to rise. After several years of decline, salmonellosis cases in the EU have flattened […]
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 […]
EFSA update on African swine fever in Europe
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published an update on the epidemiological situation of African swine fever (ASF) in Europe. In the latest report, experts assess the effectiveness of different measures that can be taken when a case of ASF is detected in an area that was previously disease-free and is far from affected […]
E. coli O157: study of super-shedding from cattle
Food Standards Scotland and the Food Standards Agency have published the report of a four year research project investigating Escherichia coli O157 high level excretion (super-shedding) from cattle in Great Britain and the threat this poses to human health. The research, undertaken by a consortium of scientists led by The Roslin Institute, the Moredun Research […]
FAO-OIE plan to keep the world free of rinderpest
To maintain the global freedom from rinderpest and prevent any re-introduction of the disease, FAO and OIE have developed a Global Rinderpest Action Plan. The plan is meant to be a guiding material for countries, outlining the responsibilities of all involved to maintain the freedom. “Eradicating rinderpest has made a major contribution to food security […]
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 […]
Animal movements have played a critical role in the spread of MRSA in Danish pigs
Pig movements have facilitated the spread of a few MRSA lineages highly adapted to the selection pressures exerted by antimicrobial use in pigs In a study published in mBio, Danish and U.S. researchers have shown that the rapid spread of livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clonal complex 398 (LA-MRSA CC398) is due to the expansion of […]
Human movements shape Bartonella diversification and infection patterns
A study in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases by Hannah Frank and colleagues at Stanford University, California suggests that humans play an important role in disease risk, infection patterns, and distribution of Bartonella, advancing current understanding of Bartonella’s evolutionary history and how the bacteria may be transmitted between humans and other animal species. Cross-species Bartonella transmission […]