Final Report Summary - DELIVER (Design of Effective and sustainable control strategies for LIVER fluke in Europe)
Fascioliasis, or liver-fluke disease, causes estimated annual losses of EUR 2.5 billion to livestock and food industries worldwide. Its prevalence has increased up to 12-fold in EU Member States in recent years. The current heavy use of anthelmintic drugs to control this disease in livestock can leave chemical residues in foodstuffs and can cause the drugs to lose their effectiveness, as helminths develop resistance to them. Fascioliasis is also an emerging human disease in many INCO countries (an estimated 17 million people are infected).
The aim of the work in this package was to improve our understanding of the epidemiology of fascioliasis by determining the farm specific risk factors for infection, improving the sensitivity of diagnosis of patent infection and improving our understanding of how genetic variation in populations of fluke affect their interaction with the intermediate snail host and their infectivity and pathogenicity for farmed livestock. Ultimately this will lead to web based predictive models which farmers can use to assess the seasonal and year on year risk of infection and disease in their herds and flocks and assist in decision making to assess if treatment is necessary, when to treat and which drug to use. This work package has also determined the significance of fluke infection in humans within the EU.
With 15 partners from 10 countries, DELIVER aimed to develop new methods for controlling liver-fluke disease in livestock which minimise the use of anthelmintic drugs. The project used epidemiological techniques to determine risk factors and will study the mechanisms of drug action and resistance. It will evaluate the immunomodulatory impact of fascioliasis and develop protective vaccines.
Current disease control measures are based on the use of drugs, which can leave potentially dangerous chemical residues in foodstuffs. Furthermore, resistance to drugs has appeared in some parts of the EU, and so it has become crucial to find new means of fighting fascioliasis. DELIVER is developing a new forecast model, based on geographical observations and data on fluke populations, to assist farmers in planning appropriate control strategies and minimising the use of flukicides.
The project studied the resistance of fluke to drugs. By studying the genetic and phenotypic changes in resistant populations, participants in DELIVER determined the optimal strategies for preserving drug efficiency and using alternative control methods where possible. This safeguards the efficacy of triclabendazole drugs for use in cases of infection in humans. Furthermore, DELIVER is going a step further and conducting further research on innovative techniques. Team members have started testing potential future vaccines for cattle, sheep and goats, based on the promising experimental vaccines, including recombinant antigens and DNA vaccines. Controlled breeding is also studied, to evaluate the extent of innate immunity in sheep.
DELIVER launched its research into forecasting, vaccine development and drug resistance studies, but the overall disease control process faces other challenges. For example, fluke can multiply in the wildlife through snail vectors and plants, and in this scenario, the triclabendazole drugs are ineffective, they only work with farm animals. There is also evidence that climate change, bringing warmer and wetter spring and summer seasons, is increasing the incidence of the infection and spreading it to areas previously unaffected.
The outcomes of DELIVER play an essential part in safeguarding the value and reputation of the EU exports market for meat and dairy products. The project's work provides alternatives to the present unsatisfactory control of the most intractable parasite of farm animals in Europe. This will contribute to sustainable rural development, at a time when the number of farmers is predicted to decrease. On the other hand, the project strengthens the European Research Area by conducting pioneering work on economically important, zoonic, helminth disease of livestock that can later be used to provide improved control of other parasitic diseases. In terms of policy development, DELIVER fulfils the policy aims of 'The Life Sciences and Biotechnology Action Plan' that promotes the development of biotechnology. 'Delivering' Europe of liver fluke is an ambitious target, but this project has provided the means to success by involving experts from different fields and countries, working hand in hand.
The aim of the work in this package was to improve our understanding of the epidemiology of fascioliasis by determining the farm specific risk factors for infection, improving the sensitivity of diagnosis of patent infection and improving our understanding of how genetic variation in populations of fluke affect their interaction with the intermediate snail host and their infectivity and pathogenicity for farmed livestock. Ultimately this will lead to web based predictive models which farmers can use to assess the seasonal and year on year risk of infection and disease in their herds and flocks and assist in decision making to assess if treatment is necessary, when to treat and which drug to use. This work package has also determined the significance of fluke infection in humans within the EU.
With 15 partners from 10 countries, DELIVER aimed to develop new methods for controlling liver-fluke disease in livestock which minimise the use of anthelmintic drugs. The project used epidemiological techniques to determine risk factors and will study the mechanisms of drug action and resistance. It will evaluate the immunomodulatory impact of fascioliasis and develop protective vaccines.
Current disease control measures are based on the use of drugs, which can leave potentially dangerous chemical residues in foodstuffs. Furthermore, resistance to drugs has appeared in some parts of the EU, and so it has become crucial to find new means of fighting fascioliasis. DELIVER is developing a new forecast model, based on geographical observations and data on fluke populations, to assist farmers in planning appropriate control strategies and minimising the use of flukicides.
The project studied the resistance of fluke to drugs. By studying the genetic and phenotypic changes in resistant populations, participants in DELIVER determined the optimal strategies for preserving drug efficiency and using alternative control methods where possible. This safeguards the efficacy of triclabendazole drugs for use in cases of infection in humans. Furthermore, DELIVER is going a step further and conducting further research on innovative techniques. Team members have started testing potential future vaccines for cattle, sheep and goats, based on the promising experimental vaccines, including recombinant antigens and DNA vaccines. Controlled breeding is also studied, to evaluate the extent of innate immunity in sheep.
DELIVER launched its research into forecasting, vaccine development and drug resistance studies, but the overall disease control process faces other challenges. For example, fluke can multiply in the wildlife through snail vectors and plants, and in this scenario, the triclabendazole drugs are ineffective, they only work with farm animals. There is also evidence that climate change, bringing warmer and wetter spring and summer seasons, is increasing the incidence of the infection and spreading it to areas previously unaffected.
The outcomes of DELIVER play an essential part in safeguarding the value and reputation of the EU exports market for meat and dairy products. The project's work provides alternatives to the present unsatisfactory control of the most intractable parasite of farm animals in Europe. This will contribute to sustainable rural development, at a time when the number of farmers is predicted to decrease. On the other hand, the project strengthens the European Research Area by conducting pioneering work on economically important, zoonic, helminth disease of livestock that can later be used to provide improved control of other parasitic diseases. In terms of policy development, DELIVER fulfils the policy aims of 'The Life Sciences and Biotechnology Action Plan' that promotes the development of biotechnology. 'Delivering' Europe of liver fluke is an ambitious target, but this project has provided the means to success by involving experts from different fields and countries, working hand in hand.