Research paper A DNA aptamer efficiently inhibits the infectivity of bovine herpesvirus 1 by blocking viral entry Bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) is an important pathogen of domestic and wild cattle responsible for major economic losses in dairy and beef industries throughout the world. Inhibition of viral entry plays a crucial role in the control of BoHV-1 infection and aptamers have… Read more
Research paper Bluetongue - an ever present threat to UK ruminants? In September 2007 bluetongue virus (BTV), a vector-borne virus of ruminants, reached the UK for the first time in recorded history following the incursion and sustained spread of a BTV-8 strain in Northern Europe. In the last 20 years multiple incursions of different BTV… Read more
Article “Superb start” to new conference on animal genetics in controlling disease A conference showcasing the exciting potential of genetics as a tool for disease control is taking place in Cambridge this week - the first event of its kind to be held in the UK. Jointly organised by scientists from The Pirbright Institute, The Roslin Institute and Uppsala… Read more
Basic page Non-Vesicular Reference Laboratory Products Order positive sera for African horse sickness, African swine fever, bluetongue, epizootic haemorrhagic disease, peste des petits ruminants and Capripox viruses. Read more
Article Pirbright hosts avian disease research symposium Scientists from across the UK and China gathered in Surrey today at the UK-China CERAD symposium (Centre of Excellence for Research on Avian Diseases) – the first such event to be held in the UK. Organised by The Pirbright Institute, ‘Recent Advances in Avian Disease… Read more
Research paper Using a fast clustering method for viral segment lineage determination, applied to the H9 influenza hemagglutinin Lineage determination is an important part of the analysis of viral sequence data. Previously this has depended on phylogenetic analysis in order to identify distinct clades within the phylogenetic trees. This method is time consuming and dependent on a set of empirical… Read more
Article African swine fever advance through Europe The continued advance of African swine fever (ASF) through Eastern European countries has triggered concern amongst pig farmers and governing bodies. Defra has upgraded the threat to the UK from ‘very low’ to ‘low’ – meaning the risk is “rare but could occur” (EFSA… Read more
