Award details

Studentship: Development and application of FMD real-time surveillance tools in Tanzania

Reference	BBS/E/I/00002078
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Dr Veronica Fowler
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors	Dr Donald King
Institution	The Pirbright Institute
Department	The Pirbright Institute Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	140,893
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	03/03/2015
End date	02/03/2017
Duration	23 months

Abstract

Foot-and-mouth disease Virus is an economically important picornavirus circulating in 77% of global livestock. Foot- and-mouth disease (FMD) costs 5 billion US$ globally in production losses and control measures, which are greatest in Africa. Tanzania has the third largest livestock production industry in Africa, however cannot exploit its market worldwide as FMD is endemic with the presence of four of the six African serotypes. Despite this, knowledge surrounding the epidemiological spatial and temporal diversity of currently circulating serotypes is not well understood. The lack of this ‘real time’ molecular data is inhibitory to Tanzania co-ordinating control of FMDV and as such they do not currently practice vaccination. Recent tantalising data suggests that FMD outbreaks occur as continuous repeating patterns of alternating serotypes. If true this suggests that infection cycles may be predictable and thus opens up the possibility for control. This project will test the hypothesis that FMD outbreaks in Tanzania are predictable by developing and deploying into the field penside molecular serotype specific diagnostics. This PhD project will sit within the VDRL with the objectives directly supporting its role to develop enhanced virological tests for field diagnostics in endemic areas and also countries moving towards elimination. In addition this work will add value to the interests of the University of Glasgow in the epidemiology and control of endemic livestock diseases in East Africa, as well as the BBSRC CIDLID project by extending the scope of research through the application of next generation detection technologies to historical samples.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Not funded via Committee
Research Topics	Animal Health, Microbiology
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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