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Sheep scab research awarded £1.2m grant
“Maintaining two effective control methods is essential for our ability to control scab in the future” – Lesley Stubbings.
Project to look at development and spread of treatment resistance.

Researchers have been awarded a £1.2m grant to tackle resistance to sheep scab treatments.

The three-year project will look at how resistance to macrocyclic lactone (ML) injectables developed in the sheep scab mite Psoroptes ovis and how it has spread across the UK.

The researchers aim to be able to provide updated advice and guidelines on how to manage sheep scab and develop new diagnostic tools to track the spread of resistance.

The grant has been awarded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council to researchers based at the Moredun Research Institute, the University of Glasgow, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), and the Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep (SCOPS) group.

Although organophosphate (OP) sheep dips can be used as an alternative to ML injectables, they involve more complex safety requirements. There are also concerns that if they are overused it could lead to the scab mites developing resistance to OP.

Lesley Stubbings, technical consultant at SCOPS, explained: “Maintaining two effective control methods is essential for our ability to control scab in the future.

“Understanding the basis of resistance in the MLs, together with the potential for early detection, will allow the industry to develop strategies to manage and slow resistance.”

Sheep scab currently costs the UK sheep industry between £80-200 million each year.

Stew Burgess, researcher at the Moredun Research Institute and project lead, said: “Sheep scab remains a significant threat to livestock health and welfare, imposing substantial economic burdens on farmers across the UK.

“With this funding, we aim to decode the genetic basis of resistance and its spread, providing the agricultural community with vital tools and updated strategies to manage this pervasive issue effectively.”

Image © Shutterstock

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Birmingham Dogs Home makes urgent appeal

News Story 1
 Birmingham Dogs Home has issued an urgent winter appeal as it faces more challenges over the Christmas period.

The rescue centre has seen a dramatic increase in dogs coming into its care, and is currently caring for over 200 dogs. With rising costs and dropping temperatures, the charity is calling for urgent support.

It costs the charity £6,000 per day to continue its work.

Fi Harrison, head of fundraising and communications, said: "It's heart-breaking for our team to see the conditions some dogs arrive in. We really are their last chance and hope of survival."

More information about the appeal can be found here. 

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News Shorts
Avian flu confirmed at premises in Cornwall

A case of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has been detected in commercial poultry at a premises near Rosudgeon, Cornwall.

All poultry on the infected site will be humanely culled, and a 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone have been put in place. Poultry and other captive birds in the 3km protection zone must be housed.

The case is the second avian flu case confirmed in commercial poultry this month. The H5N5 strain was detected in a premises near Hornsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, in early November. Before then, the disease had not been confirmed in captive birds in England since February.

The UK chief veterinary officer has urged bird keepers to remain alert and practise robust biosecurity.

A map of the disease control zones can be found here.