Novel Parasite Vaccine: In a new £6 million initiative, an international team of researchers will collaborate to develop a new parasite vaccine for sheep, which could revolutionise the control of worm infections in livestock.
The new project, which involves experts from the University of Glasgow, will use cutting-edge technology and a multidisciplinary approach to develop desperately needed vaccines against parasitic intestinal nematodes.
Infection with nematodes has a significant impact on animal agriculture around the globe, as infections negatively affect the health and well-being of affected animals. The annual cost of parasitism to the Australian sheep and goat industry is estimated to exceed AU$450 million. The annual cost of parasitism to the British sheep and goat industry is estimated to be approximately £4 per lamb due to diminished weight gain and treatment costs. Infections also have indirect effects on greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, hindering our ability to achieve Net Zero goals.
Currently, chemical treatments are the cornerstone of parasite control programmes for nematode infections; however, resistance to these treatments severely compromises control options on farms in many regions of the globe. In order for sheep husbandry to have a sustainable future, vaccines must be developed. Even though significant investment from the Scottish Government, UKRI, and others is funding significant progress in this area, the development of a commercial worm vaccine has remained difficult.
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Novel Parasite Vaccine For Sheep
However, recent technological advancements considerably increase the likelihood of success, and an international, multi-institutional partnership will now collaborate to create a vaccine. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the Moredun Research Institute, in collaboration with the University of Glasgow and the University of New England in Australia, will develop an effective vaccine for on-farm worm control.
In addition to James Hutton Institute colleagues, the project comprises specialists in parasitology, immunology, and vaccine formulation. Researchers from the University of Glasgow will combine their knowledge of parasite genome information and gene suppression to determine which components of parasitic nematodes may be the most effective vaccination targets.
Professor Collette Britton, from the University of Glasgow’s School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, said, “This is an excellent opportunity for international partners to collaborate, employing the most recent data and technologies, to develop a much-needed nematode vaccine. It could revolutionise how we regulate these parasitic infections in livestock. The findings will have broader implications for the design of vaccines against other nematode infections.”
This initiative is co-funded by each partner and the Australian Federal Government via the Meat & Livestock Australia Donor Company for a total of just over £6m (AU$ 11m) over a period of 5 years. More than half of the budget will be allocated to Scottish collaborators in order to develop a vaccine against the major gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep that is commercially viable.
