Objective
Background :
Despite intensive efforts, it has not proved possible to eradicate classical swine fever
(CSF) in Europe and new outbreaks of the disease continue to occur within EU member states and Eastern Europe. Not only the direct costs but also the indirect costs, relating to international trade of both live pigs and pig products, of these outbreaks are enormous. In order to deal with outbreaks, there is a short term need for improved diagnosis and a longer term need for a better understanding of why the disease is reappearing.
The objective is :
This research proposal seeks to address both the need for improved CSF diagnosis and the need for identifying the routes of continuing disease spread. The former will be dealt with through the development, optimisation and harmonised validation of new diagnostic methods based on detection of CSF virus antigens and RNA; the latter through the development of molecular epizootiological methods to permit the origin and spread of outbreaks to be more precisely determined.
Short description of the project :
As regards diagnostic tests, particular emphasis will be placed on establishing tests based on reverse transcription - polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for screening blood samples of live pigs and tissue from abattoir carcasses. Molecular epidemiology will be based on the establishment of a specific fingerprint for each outbreak that will be compared to others in order to determine the likely patterns of the spread.
Fields of science
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
KT15 3NB Weybridge
United Kingdom