Can you vaccinate cattle against tb

Further, regulatory issues including demonstrating their safety and effectiveness will also have to be addressed before the diagnostic tools can be allowed to be used as part of TB eradication programmes. Such studies are already under way in the UK and India.

This is because a DIVA test working alongside a cattle vaccine could allow farmers to separate TB-positive animals from uninfected animals in the field. The incidence of bTB is increasing in cattle herds of developed countries that have a wild life reservoir of M. The increase in the incidence of bTB is thought to be due, at least in part, to a wildlife reservoir of M. Zoonotic tuberculosis due to Mycobacterium bovis in developing countries.

Emerg Infect Dis ;4 1 ]. The World Organisation for Animal Health OIE which sets standards for international trade in animals and their products advises that cattle vaccination should not be used in countries which operate control or trade measures based on tuberculin tests.

This development is a breakthrough. If the DIVA skin test DST-F is successfully validated and approved for use it will remove the problem of BCG vaccine-related false positives with the current tuberculin test by detecting only those vaccinated animals that are bTB-infected, i. It envisages that vaccination could be applied in combination with such DIVA tests once these have been fully validated and the legal framework amended accordingly. We also need to do further work to validate the DIVA skin test.

Defra, Welsh Government and Scottish Government are also funding two supplementary research projects. One is looking at the duration of immunity of CattleBCG. TB reactors sourced from farms. These two projects are scheduled to run until Then a decision will be made on continuation to the second phase. As well as identifying vaccinated cattle that are truly infected i.

Provided the field trials go as hoped and VMD considers the marketing authorisation applications satisfactory with respect to quality, safety and efficacy, the timeline envisages those authorisations being granted in This would pave the way for removing or relaxing the current legal barriers to vaccinating cattle against bTB in England and Wales.

The estimated timeframe is five years subject to successfully completing the field trials and then successfully applying for marketing authorisations. OIE sets animal health standards for international trade in animals as the principal reference for World Trade Organization members. OIE makes no provision for vaccination of cattle against bTB. Results should be available later this year. If they are promising, a second trial phase will see the test combined with vaccines.

The vaccine and skin test could help many countries beyond England.