Research offers hope for bTB vaccine
New research from the University of Nottingham and the China Agricultural University could be a significant step towards developing a vaccine against both bovine and human TB.
The latest Defra figures show the slaughter of cattle as a result of bovine TB (bTB), increased by 10 per cent in the UK, with over 38,000 animals being slaughtered in 2012.
The disease is a major economic problem in China. Within any herd, up to 70 per cent of cattle can be affected. A zoonotic disease, bTB can also transmit to humans, and effective treatment can take up to two years. This is not a financially viable option for impoverished people living in remote locations in China.
The universities are collaborating on a two-year research project to investigate whether the presence of one bacterium could offer protection against bTB.
"We have discovered very interesting and novel interactions between different bacterial types during mixed infections," says lead researcher, Professor Paul Barrow, of the University of Nottingham. "One bacterial type can stimulate short term immunity against unrelated bacteria providing a degree of protection."
Researchers from the university will use advanced microarray technology to test cattle samples from both the UK and China, in order to detect the mixture of bacteria present in a single animal.
Scientists in China will also conduct vitro assays in cell culture to determine the effect one bacterium has on the immune system's response to another.
The project has received a £200,000 grant from the Research Council UK, Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) and the China-UK Cooperation Programme in Global Priorities.
It is hoped that the research findings will lead to the development of an emergency vaccine, that could be used in the event of infection being found within a herd. The vaccine would stimulate rapid resistance to bTB, thereby preventing its spread.
This could also apply to the treatment of human TB, allowing family members to be vaccinated shortly after the diagnosis of a relative.
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is inviting applications from veterinary students to attend a one-week extramural studies (EMS) placement in July 2026.
