The spread of disease in a population
A study at the University of Bristol has helped to determine the patterns of disease epidemics in territorial animals, such as badgers, which will aid scientists in targeting prevention strategies.
The research involved recording how quickly disease is transmitted between a species, and whether this affected by the demography of the species, the way the animals wander and the degree of contagiousness of the disease.
By finding more about how viruses and infections move from animal to animal, scientists will be able to uncover more effective control measures for diseases. These will be based on identifying specific individuals, or classes of individuals, rather than widespread measures that target the entire species, such as culling.
The researchers used a model to discover that badgers, which are territorial animals, transmit the bovine tuberculosis (bTB) infection by passing the bacterial pathogen to individuals in neighbouring territories.
Dr Luca Giuggioli, senior lecturer in Complexity Sciences in the Department of Engineering Mathematics and the School of Biological Sciences at the university, took part in the study.
He said: "The research findings have the potential to be applicable to various populations of territorial animals worldwide, including in the UK bovine TB in badgers, which has enormous economic implications for the cattle industry."
The study was funded by a grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the National Autonomous University of Mexico. It has been published in Physical Review Letters.
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is inviting applications from veterinary students to attend a one-week extramural studies (EMS) placement in July 2026.
