Queen's University Belfast is spearheading an £1 million international research effort to combat liver fluke – a parasite which causes disease in livestock, resulting in billions of pounds in losses every year to farmers around the world.
The disease caused by liver fluke worms – Fasciolosis – has a huge impact on livestock globally, causing ill health in animals and dramatically reducing productivity. Losses to UK farmers are estimated at over £300 million per year, while in India, Fasciolosis costs the agricultural sector between £1.3 and £3 billion per year.
Further, this disease is a food-borne pathogen which can also infect people. An estimated 17 million people are infected with the liver fluke worm and the disease has been designated a Neglected Tropical Disease by the World Health Organisation.
Parasitologists from Queen's School of Biological Sciences will work with partners at Aligarh Muslim University and Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University in India, and the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University in Wales, in efforts to uncover a new vaccine for the disease.
Professor Aaron Maule from the School of Biological Sciences at Queen's said: "Liver fluke worms cause serious losses in cattle, buffaloes, goats and sheep and are a serious threat to the livelihood of farmers in many areas of Asia and Africa. A farmer in India whose buffalo is infected can see a 30 per cent drop in milk yields. This parasite represents a huge burden to India's largely agricultural economy.
"In the developed world, liver fluke are mainly controlled using drugs which kill them. Drug resistance, however, is spreading. As these drugs become less effective, outbreaks of the disease in the UK are on the rise.
"A new control strategy, based on vaccination or chemotherapy, is urgently needed. This is exactly what we will be working to develop over the next three years, along with our partners in Wales and India.
"Key to the development of an effective treatment will be the careful selection of a suitable vaccine or drug target from within the worm. We will identify this target with the help of new molecular technologies, such as gene silencing, whereby potential targets are temporarily removed from the worm in order to determine their importance to the worm's survival.
"Following the selection of the best vaccine targets, our research partners in India will conduct field trials in livestock to identify the best vaccine to control liver fluke disease.
"We also believe this technology based strategy for the selection of vaccine and drug targets will be directly transferable to other animal and human parasites, such as blood flukes and tapeworms."
Professor Wayne Powell, Director of IBERS at Aberystwyth University said: "I am particularly pleased that IBERS is working in partnership to tackle major global challenges and making a contribution to solving some the most pressing problems in the developing world."
The £1 million research funding is part of the £13 million Combating Infectious Diseases of Livestock for International Development initiative co-funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Department for International Development and the Scottish Executive.
UK Development Minister Mike Foster said: "Smallholders from developing countries face a daily struggle. Healthy animals can mean the difference between feeding a family or being plunged further into poverty and malnutrition. This new research will reduce poverty, increase animal welfare and ultimately improve the quality of life for some of the world's poorest people."
Welcoming the research, Science and Innovation Minister Lord Drayson said: "This collaboration demonstrates the UK's determination to share our world-leading science in the search for improved treatments and diagnostic tools in animal health. Animal disease is a deadly threat that leaves no corner of the Earth untouched. This research will allow communities to protect food chains and economies at home and in developing countries."
BBSRC Chief Executive, Professor Douglas Kell, said: "Joining with partners from developing countries, UK science can provide a solid platform for providing disease management solutions from better vaccinations through to more sophisticated diagnostic techniques which will not only transform the lives of millions across the developing world, but also generate a more stable livestock infrastructure globally for the benefit of us all."
Details of all the projects being funded by the Livestock for International Development initiative are available in a media briefing at: www.bbsrc.ac.uk/media/releases/2010/100215-livestock-threat-reduce-poverty-increase-food-security.aspx
Notes to editors:
1. Professor Aaron Maule is available for interview on Thursday 4 March. Interview bids should be directed to Anne-Marie Watson atQueen's University Press and PR Unit on 00 44 (0)28 9097 5320 or 00 44 (0)7814415451 or a.watson@qub.ac.uk
2. Media inquiries on other projects within the Livestock for International Development initiative should be directed to Tracey Jewitt at the BBSRC Media Officer on Tracey Jewitt, Tel: +44 (0)1793 414694, email: tracey.jewitt@bbsrc.ac.uk
3. Additional quote - Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs for the Scottish Government, said: "We are proud that our world class science base in animal health is helping to address such important global issues. The challenges are immense but by working together we can make a real difference to the long term prospects and wellbeing of communities throughout the world."
4. Professor Aaron Maule is Director of Research for Molecular Biosciences at Queen's University Belfast. The primary focus of the Molecular Biosciences Research Cluster is fundamental biological processes in cells, microbes and parasites as well as applied processes in environmental microbiology, parasitology and disease control. The group provides a broad platform of fundamental and applied expertise in the biosciences, including: molecular biology; cell biology and cell signalling; microbial biochemistry and genomics; stress metabolism; bioremediation; parasite biology, physiology and therapeutics; protein biochemistry, expression and engineering; peptide/protein modelling and synthesis; nucleic acid structure and function; bioimaging. For more information visit http://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofBiologicalSciences/Research/MolecularBiosciences
5. The Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, was established in April 2008 following the merger of the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, formerly part of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), with Aberystwyth University. IBERS continues to receive significant funding for research from the BBSRC and benefits from financial support from the Welsh Assembly Government, DEFRA and the European Union. Its vision is to be one of the top three land based science University departments in the world. A major feature of this vision is a commitment to rejuvenate agriculture in the UK and support the sustainability and viability of the rural economy through establishing direct links between farming communities, business and academics.
IBERS Aberystwyth University has recently announced proposals to restructure in order to deliver its vision to be a sustainable, world class institution, delivering teaching, research and knowledge transfer to address the challenges of the 21st century. IBERS is implementing a multimillion pound capital development programme that will provide state of the art teaching and research facilities at both the Penglais and Gogerddan campuses. It is also creating 13 new strategically important posts. The new appointments, coupled with the development of the new facilities, will provide fresh impetus as the Institute works to improve the quality, volume and impact of its research.