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Vaccine for foot and mouth in five years, say researchers
Scientists hope to produce vaccine by end of five-year project

Leading research scientists have said they are confident a vaccine for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) will be produced in the next five years.

Researchers from the Pirbright Institute and the universities of St Andrews, Leeds, Edinburgh and Dundee are working on a five-year project to form an effective vaccine for FMD type-O - the serotype that caused the 2001 UK outbreak.

The project, which hopes for a vaccine with improved responses, reduced need for revaccination, and eventually the development of a weapon against all known strains of the disease, has been part-funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

Terry Jackson, team leader on the FMD project at Pirbright, said: "The significant thing is that the universities can use sub-genomic replicons. These replicons don't produce infectious virus, so they are perfectly safe to work on outside of our containment facility. The universities now have permission to use them and at the end of this we would be very disappointed if we did not have a vaccine using the live unattenuated virus."

The 2001 FMD virus outbreak lead to the deaths of seven million sheep and cattle, and was estimated to have cost the British economy around £8b.

Dr Jackson added: "Success would be massive. A lot of people who work at Pirbright would love to leave a legacy; we would love to leave behind something and say we made a difference."

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Equine Disease Surveillance report released for Q4 2025

News Story 1
 The latest Equine Disease Surveillance report has been released, with details on equine disease from Q4 of 2025.

The report, produced by Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance, includes advice on rule changes for equine influenza vaccination.

Statistics and maps detail recent outbreaks of equine herpes virus, equine influenza, equine strangles and equine grass sickness. A series of laboratory reports provides data on virology, bacteriology, parasitology and toxicosis.

This issue also features a case study of orthoflavivus-associated neurological disease in a horse in the UK. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
BSAVA announces 12th Edition of the Small Animal Formulary

The BSAVA has published an updated edition of its Small Animal Formulary, which includes new drug monographs and emergency drug doses for rabbits, rodents, birds and reptiles.

One of BSAVA's most trusted and widely used clinical resources, this 12th edition of the manual also includes seven new client information leaflets and information on drugs used for the management of urinary incontinence.

Part A of the Formulary, Canine and Feline, sees Fergus Allerton return as Editor-in-Chief, while Part B: Exotic Pets was edited by Joanna Hedley. For more information, visit the BSAVA website.