British scientists have been awarded grants to advance the development of two cattle vaccines to curb bovine babesiosis (redwater) and bovine TB infections.
The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has been awarded two grants – worth nearly £200,000 – from the International Veterinary Vaccinology Network (IVVN).
The first grant, worth £89,000, will support the exploration of the genetic diversity and vaccine potential of thrombospondin-repeat domain (TSR) proteins against bovine babesiosis.
This disease, known colloquially as redwater fever, is tick-transmitted and affects cattle by parasites replicating in red blood cells, causing fever, anaemia, anorexia and death.
It has a hugely detrimental impact on the cattle’s health and welfare and can cause significant economic losses for farmers.
Scientists at the RVC say their research could form the foundations for creating a safe and effective vaccine against redwater to help farmers with financial and food security.
The second grant, totalling nearly £79,000, will use Nanopore DNA sequencing to improve understanding of genetic diversity in bovine TB (bTB).
Additionally, through collaboration with the University of Oxford, researchers will test vaccine efficacy against the field strains.
TB in cattle can cause fever, diarrhoea and loss of appetite and weight, resulting in animal health concerns and a significant economic burden due to loss of productivity.
The BCG vaccine, currently deployed in humans is over a century old and fails to protect against adult pulmonary TB.
Currently, there are no vaccines for use in livestock, although the UK alongside other countries are field trialling the BCG vaccine for use in cattle.
This research will determine the extent to which the vaccination can cause pathogen inhibition and relate this to a protective immune response in cattle.
If successful, scientists at the RVC say this research could lead to improvements in the control of the disease in cattle.
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