Researchers at The Pirbright Institute have developed a new method of genetically modifying the Marek’s disease vaccine so it is also able to protect against other destructive poultry viruses such as infectious bursal disease (IBD), avian influenza or Newcastle disease.
Scientists at The Pirbright Institute have identified a new type of immune cell in chickens that is involved in the development of Marek’s disease.
Marek’s disease virus (MDV) is highly contagious and causes a deadly cancer of the lymph nodes (lymphoma) and immunosuppression in poultry. The virus’s ability to supress immune responses of birds is one of the reasons MDV is such a major threat to the poultry industry, as it prevents recovery and makes birds susceptible to secondary infections.
A brand new laboratory at The Pirbright Institute, opened earlier this year by HRH The Princess Royal, has scooped a prestigious design award at the Guildford Design Awards 2017. The awards, which take place every two years, were established in 1987 to celebrate well-designed, innovative architectural and environmental projects that contribute to the quality and sustainability of our surroundings.
In the last 15 years there has been a concerning increase in the spread of the livestock viral disease, peste des petits ruminants (PPR).
Scientists at The Pirbright Institute have found that deleting a gene of the African swine fever virus (ASFV), a severe and often fatal disease of pigs, reduces its ability to cause infection and protects against a strain of the virus that causes severe disease.
A £2,359,553 grant has been awarded by Innovate UK to The Pirbright Institute’s Dr Simon Graham to lead an international team developing an inexpensive, safe and effective vaccine to protect pigs against Nipah virus (NiV).
Pre-clinical diagnosis could be key to helping control the transmission of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) in the event of an outbreak, a new study from scientists at The Pirbright Institute and Wageningen Bioveterinary Research has concluded.
Newly discovered components of the chicken innate immune system suggest poultry may be better equipped to fight viruses than scientists previously thought.
Researchers from The Pirbright Institute investigating chicken immunology, have discovered a previously unknown interferon (antiviral molecule), which they identified as IFN Kappa (IFN-K). The chicken’s innate immune system is generally not well understood and Pirbright scientists have now used this new component to understand its particular function in helping chickens combat viruses.
The largest study of blood feeding by mosquitoes ever conducted in the UK, has revealed that some species are more selective than others when choosing a host. Researchers aimed to discover which birds and mammals mosquitoes were biting in order to understand the potential for the UK to experience outbreaks of vector-borne diseases.
Better coordinated vaccine strategies are urgently needed to combat the spread of peste des petits ruminants (PPR); a neglected but devastating livestock disease which now poses a threat to sheep and goat populations in Europe, say scientists from The Pirbright Institute.
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