Major new research effort targets key pig diseases

The project aims to prevent and diagnose costly respiratory diseases in pigs - <em>News Release</em>

News release issued by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

Wednesday 17 March 2010

A consortium of researchers in Cambridge and London has been awarded a £5 million grant from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to develop a way of diagnosing and preventing respiratory diseases in pigs.

These bacterial diseases are a major animal welfare issue and cost the pig industry millions of pounds every year through both morbidity and mortality.

BBSRC awarded the Longer and Larger (LoLa) grant to the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

The six-year project’s main aim is to develop a way to diagnose key respiratory diseases in pigs and develop a new vaccine.

At the moment, these bacterial diseases are hard to diagnose: some strains of a particular bacterium cause disease while others do not, but there is no reliable test to distinguish between them. Current vaccines are poor because they only work against a few strains and do not prevent bacteria spreading from pig to pig.

The team will be targeting four of the most common bacterial infections in pigs: Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, Haemophilus parasuis, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and Streptococcus suis, the last of which can also cause septicaemia and meningitis in humans, especially in people who work with pigs.

According to consortium coordinator Professor Paul Langford of Imperial College London: “The worldwide economic and welfare burden of bacterial respiratory diseases in pigs is enormous but controlling infection is hampered because we have neither an effective vaccine nor good diagnostic tools.”

Current vaccines do not stop infections from spreading between pigs

Professor Duncan Maskell of the University of Cambridge says: “This project will be using cutting-edge genomic data and techniques – many of which have been developed by consortium members.”

Professor Brendan Wren of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine agrees: “Research on pig pathogens has lagged behind that of human infectious agents, through this project this could now change with the application state-of-the-art DNA-based technology.”

Professor Andrew Rycroft of the RVC added: “The vaccine we expect to develop will provide an alternative for pig farmers to the use of antibiotics in controlling pneumonia in their animals. We will be working with producers, veterinarians and the pharmaceutical industry in finding better ways to combat these important diseases.”

With growing affluence and urbanisation in rapidly developing countries and a global population set to hit nine billion by 2050, we are facing a potential crisis in global food security. It is important therefore to look for new ways to produce more meat using improved welfare standards and sustainable practices.

Pork production is already high yielding and more sustainable than many other types of meat. And pork is increasingly highly consumed, especially in China. So reducing the incidence and impact of bacterial respiratory diseases will help to ensure that pork production continues to progress in all respects.

BBSRC introduced longer and larger (LoLa) grants in 2006 to encourage multidisciplinary research proposals. Research funded through a strategic LoLa must be scientifically excellent, demonstrate impact, address at least one of BBSRC’s strategic priorities, and be conducted by an internationally leading research team.

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For additional information, please contact:
Becky Allen, Office of Communications, University of Cambridge
Tel: +44 (0)1223 332300, mobile: + 44 (0)7500 883644, email: becky.allen@admin.cam.ac.uk