News
International effort needed to combat antimicrobial resistance
Global leaders in animal health discussed new ideas and solutions to the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at a three-day event hosted by The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). The 2nd Global Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance and Prudent Use of Antimicrobial Agents in Animals (Marrakesh, Morocco, 29-31 October 2018) highlighted the need for cross-sector, […]
One Health research programme: first grant recipients announced
A £5 million translational research programme led by the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and funded by Research England, has awarded its first tranche of grants to the total value of £1 million. The programme – The Bloomsbury SET: Connecting Capability to Combat the Threat from Infectious Disease and Antimicrobial Resistance – adopts a ‘one health’ […]
EFSA assesses strategies for eliminating lumpy skin disease
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has assessed the most effective strategies for eliminating lumpy skin disease (LSD) now that the outbreaks in south-eastern Europe have been contained. A report published in the EFSA Journal gives advice on the ideal duration of vaccination programmes to eliminate the disease, and looks at the probability that the […]
Recombinant Infectious bronchitis viruses: potential for a new generation of vaccines
Researchers at The Pirbright Institute and The Roslin Institute have published work investigate the role of the infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) spike (S) protein in generating protection through vaccination. Current vaccine regimes, based on a single serotype, often do not produce sufficient immunity against other serotypes, so two or more different vaccines have to be […]
Two PPRV vaccines protect against all strains
Scientists at The Pirbright Institute have conducted a study to directly compare the ability of two vaccines to protect susceptible animals against wildtype viruses from any of the four genetic lineages of Peste-des-petits-ruminants virus (PPRV). Through analysing the immune response of goats that were administered the vaccines, they were able to demonstrate that both vaccines […]
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 […]
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 […]
Gene-edited pigs are resistant to TGEV
A team of researchers from the University of Missouri, Kansas State University and Genus plc has succeeded in producing pigs that are resistant to Transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) by means of gene editing. Their study is published in Transgenic Research. “Previous research had identified an enzyme called ANPEP as a potential receptor for the virus, […]
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 […]