A new all-island research project that will examine the factors behind persistent bTB has been launched.
It will be the first project that will specifically focus on the host immune response in cattle from herds that experience recurring btB infection.
Researchers from Queen’s University Belfast and the AgriFood and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) will partner with experts from University College Dublin (UCD) in a bid to understand the immunology of bovine tuberculosis (bTB).
The new all research project will also examine the role that nutrition and vitamin D might play in bTB.
It is estimated that TB infected herds have a 30-40% chance of a repeat breakdown within three years due to a relapse of infection on farms on both sides of the Irish border.
Experts have warned that UK, Irish and European Union (EU) goals to eradicate bTB cannot be met without an intensified focus on the reasons behind recurring infection.
This project has been funded by the Irish government under the ‘Shared Island’ initiative, which seeks to build new north-south partnerships, in strategically important areas.
Dr Kieran Meade of UCD is heading up the project in collaboration with Professor Ilias Kyriazakis of IGFS and Dr Tom Ford of AFBI.
“Multiple studies now point to an-animal specific issue that prevents current diagnostic tests from identifying all truly infected cattle, and these cattle act as a reservoir of persistent infection,” Meade said.
“The weight of evidence from the human literature and our exciting preliminary data suggests that vitamin d status will have a decisive impact on livestock immunity to diseases including TB.”
Meanwhile Kyriazakis – who has a background in veterinary medicine – said: “Queen’s has previously associated vitamin D status of livestock with their immune response to a variety of pathogens, and this exciting collaboration offers us the opportunity to build on our previous research.”
Ford added: “This project provides an exciting opportunity to further understand baseline cattle immune system function, how it responds to the bacterium that causes bTB and if vitamin d influences immunological outcomes – from disease resilience to diagnostics.”
