Vaccine for Malignant Catarrhal Fever?
The annual wildebeest migration - one of the world's greatest spectacles but also a real threat to the livelihood of local farms.
RESEARCHERS led by David Haig, Professor of Animal Infection and Immunity at The University of Nottingham have already developed a candidate MCF vaccine for use in cattle. The next step is to test it in field conditions. Over the next three years his research team will test the vaccine in Tanzania, develop it further as required and then look to make a new vaccine for a sheep virus which is very similar to the wildebeest virus and causes MCF in livestock in other parts of the world, including Europe, Indonesia, Australasia and the Americas.
Professor Haig, from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, said: “The quest for a vaccine for Malignant Catarrhal Fever goes back to the middle of the last century. We have the first successful vaccine candidate and this is eagerly sought by the pastoralists and farmers in Eastern and Southern Africa, who have been lobbying for this for many years. We also have a strategy to develop a vaccine for a related virus causing MCF elsewhere in the world and are delighted that BBSRC/DFID have given us the opportunity to develop this.”
The research project is part of a £13m initiative... to support farmers and families in the developing world.
Professor Haig will be working with experts from Glasgow University, the Moredun Research Institute, in Scotland, and Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania, the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI), Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA), Central Veterinary Laboratory, and VETAID, Tanzania.
Agriculture is vital for the livelihoods of 75 per cent of the world's poor. Food demand is predicted to increase by 50 per cent by 2030. The BBSRC and DFID have joined forces to harness the UK's world-class bioscience base to address the challenges posed by livestock diseases and work with developing countries to provide practical and sustainable solutions.
‘Combating Infectious Diseases of Livestock for International Development’ is an initiative made up of 16 projects, involving 16 UK institutions and eight other countries, which over the next four years will look at some of the most prevalent, damaging and costly diseases of livestock in developing countries and work with more than 20 overseas institutes to not only control or prevent these diseases but also to build scientific capacity at a local and national level within these countries to enable them to manage these diseases and apply new findings and technologies to other disease areas, in both livestock and humans.
‘Combating Infectious Diseases of Livestock for International Development’ is an initiative made up of 16 projects, involving 16 UK institutions and eight other countries, which will look at some of the most prevalent, damaging and costly diseases of livestock in developing countries.
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.”
By bringing together the best science and the brightest minds from around the globe, the initiative aims to generate workable solutions on the ground to improve animal welfare, productivity and ultimately enhance the lives of millions of people.
BSAVA is to partner with BVA Live (11-12 June 2026) to champion clinical research.
