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
Research offers hope for bTB vaccine
Nottingham-China collaboration could lead to 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.

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

Strangles survey seeks views of horse owners

News Story 1
 With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.

The survey, which has been designed by Dechra, aims to raise awareness of Strangles and promote best practices to prevent its transmission. It includes questions about horse owners' experiences of strangles, together with preventative measures and vaccination.

Respondents to the survey will be entered into a prize draw to win two VIP tickets to Your Horse Live 2025. To access the survey, click here 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
DAERA to reduce BVD 'grace period'

DAERA has reminded herd keepers of an upcoming reduction to the 'grace period' to avoid BVD herd restrictions.

From 1 May 2025, herd keepers will have seven days to cull any BVD positive or inconclusive animals to avoid restrictions being applied to their herd.

It follows legislation introduced on 1 February, as DAERA introduces herd movement restrictions through a phased approach. Herd keepers originally had 28 days to cull BVD positive or inconclusive animals.

DAERA says that, providing herd keepers use the seven-day grace period, no herds should be restricted within the first year of these measures.

Additional measures, which will target herds with animals over 30 days old that haven't been tested for BVD, will be introduced from 1 June 2025.

More information is available on the DAERA website.