Your data on MRCVSonline
The nature of the services provided by Vision Media means that we might obtain certain information about you.
Please read our Data Protection and Privacy Policy for details.

In addition, (with your consent) some parts of our website may store a 'cookie' in your browser for the purposes of
functionality or performance monitoring.
Click here to manage your settings.
If you would like to forward this story on to a friend, simply fill in the form below and click send.

Your friend's email:
Your email:
Your name:
 
 
Send Cancel

New blood test to tackle devastating cattle disease
Blood test
The device can tell within 30 minutes whether or not an animal is infected with T.vivax.

Researchers develop inexpensive test for nagana
 
A new blood test has been developed to tackle a devastating cattle disease that affects much of sub-Saharan Africa.

Nagana is caused by two parasites - Trypanosoma vivax (T.vivax) and Trypanosoma congolense (T.congolense) and causes muscle wasting and death.

With some 60 million cattle at risk from the disease, nagana also has a huge economic impact on smallholder farmers across the continent.

Until now, nagana was relatively difficult to diagnose because early symptoms can be confused with other endemic diseases.
But, writing in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, researchers describe how they have developed a device that can tell within 30 minutes whether or not an animal is infected with T.vivax.

The device is less than three inches long and is similar in format to a preganancy test. Requiring just a single drop of blood, it does not require electricity or any additional equipment - factors that are essential for deployment in resource-limited settings.

It is hoped that, with further development, the device will prove sufficiently useful for the detection of nagana in the third world. Project leader Mike Ferguson, professor of life sciences at the University of Dundee, explains:

“Such a test could allow millions of smallholder farmers an efficient way to test their cattle for this debilitating disease and give peace of mind that any subsequent treatment for T. vivax infection will be done with the certainty that the patient is infected, which saves the farmer money."

In the study, researchers at the University of Dundee joined forces with the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines (GALVmed) to identify the components of T. vivax that cattle make antibodies to.

One of these components was developed into a prototype diagnostic device in collaboration with Dr Steven Wall at BBI Solutions OEM Limited, who specialise in the development and manufacturing of lateral flow assays.

The prototype diagnostic device was evaluated with over a hundred serum samples from uninfected and T. vivax-infected cattle.

The researchers say the results have inspired GALVmed to further investigate this innovative diagnostic test for use in Africa.

"This will give more control to the smallholder farmers whose quality of life has been affected by this disease that covers over 10 million square kilometres of Africa," says Professor Ferguson.

Image (C) University of Dundee

Become a member or log in to add this story to your CPD history

Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.