Badger TB vaccination talk Bristol

[Loz]

Bristol & Gloucestershire Mammal Group have a very topical talk this Thursday 4th Nov.

The use of an injectable vaccine in badgers: A government policy to reduce the risk of bovine tuberculosis transmission from badgers to cattle. - Dr. Iain Trewby, FERA

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis, is a serious disease of cattle in England and the Eurasian badger (Meles meles) can contribute to a significant proportion of recurring infections in cattle. Historically, culling badgers was used as the principle method of reducing the risk of transmission from badgers to cattle. However, Following an extensive research programme, the UK Government has undertaken a project to deploy an injectable BCG vaccine in badgers. Here, we describe how this deployment project is being implemented as government policy, with the aim of encouraging the wider use of vaccination.

Thursday 4th November 8PM in the Blue Room, Tobacco Factory cafe/bar, Raleigh Road, Southville, Bristol. BS3 1TF.

Check out the website - search gloucestershire-mammals.org

[Rob_D]

Did you manage to go? Would be interested to hear what you thought. Anyway, is the project going ahead?

[Loz]

Hey,
I did go yeah. It was interesting, Ive heard quite a lot in the news about the cull in Wales so it was nice to have an overview of what is really going on. The project is going ahead, but due to funding the area has been reduced. I think he said they have vaccinated almost 500 badgers this year and they have set up a training course. I think it would be a lot easier if they could vaccinate the cattle, but there are issues surrounding that so this is the next best option. I think culling wildlife to make our life easier is a bit wrong. It seems that humans answer to anything that doesnt quite fit is to just get rid of it.

For more info, see the badger vaccine deplyment project page of the food and environmnet research agency (fera).

Loz

[Rob_D]

Glad to hear you found it interesting, and that they are still going ahead despite the cuts. I hope that such projects can influence government policy and provide a more appropriate and effective method of reducing bTB than the ones that have been proposed in recent times.

[Brocakat]

Does anyone on here know the reasons why the vaccination of Cattle is so problamatic as to make officials believe vaccinating Badgers is easier?

Simplistically, cows etc are all neatly tethered-up in rows. Maybe its the vaccine itself?

[Loz]

From the talk I gathered it was to do with EU export legislation. If cattle are vaccinated, then the TB test would no longer be effective as all cattle would come up as positive. Therefore we wouldnt be able to export cattle or cattle products. They dont seem to want to change the legislation for all countries when there are only about 5 countries (cant remember the exact number, could have been 4...) that have a TB problem.

Loz

[Brocakat]

I accept what you are say - but believe that the amount of Dairy Cattle that are exported from the U.K.would be absolutely minimal compared to the amount of Beef cattle that are exported. ( I'd also suggest that more horses are exported [ for slaughter, for Human consumption ] - than Dairy Cattle.

And that the problem with TB as it related to U.K. Cattle is a Dairy Cattle issue, for
the vast majority of 'At risk' herds.

---oOo---

Also, from Loz's last post, what Loz relates from that FERA talk .... if the cattle are vaccinated ( and thus all reading 'positive' ) - surely , if the animal has their current vaccination certificate - they would not need to have that test anyway. The test would be then redundant.

Are DEFRA / FERA being deliberately obtuse ?

[stripee]

There is a DEFRA news release today.Bovine TB Defra

with a lot of information about the badger vaccine project.

[Eryri]

During the vaccination study 33 badgers were killed as a result of road accidents and given a post mortem. They were tested for bTB. Of these 18 had been vaccinated, and 15 had not been vaccinated. Of the 18 badgers that had been vaccinated, 7 were found to have lesions associated with bTB, and tested positive for the disease. Additionally, one had lesions caused by the BCG vaccine.

Field Trial to Assess the Safety of Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG) Vaccine administered to Badgers

Perhaps my mathematics is wrong, but that indicates that 40% of all badgers vaccinated will still test positive to bTB (infected carriers) and the vaccine will compromise the health of up to 5% of badgers vaccinated ?

[Eryri]

Originally Posted by Brocakat

And that the problem with TB as it related to U.K. Cattle is a Dairy Cattle issue, for the vast majority of 'At risk' herds.

There is no greater propensity for dairy cattle to catch bTB than beef cattle, other than dairy herds tend to be much larger, so an outbreak more serious. Cattle reared indoors can be protected from external contamination of bTB so the wildlife vector tends to afflict free range or outdoor reared herds. The 'at risk' issue is geographical, with the bTB hotspots in England concentrated in the South West (Devon, Cornwall, Somerset).

Originally Posted by Brocakat

Also, from Loz's last post, what Loz relates from that FERA talk .... if the cattle are vaccinated ( and thus all reading 'positive' ) - surely , if the animal has their current vaccination certificate - they would not need to have that test anyway. The test would be then redundant.

A BCG vaccination of a cow would result in a test-positive result in the bTB test, and also, the vaccination is not effective on cows which already have bTB, even those not yet showing external signs of the disease. It would not therefore be possible to say that no cow in a herd where all the cows have been vaccinated does not have bTB. Also, any test of a cow in that herd would give a 'false positive' is the BCG vaccine gives the same test result as full blown bTB.