51³Ô¹ÏÍø

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) One Health Poultry Hub

With integrated streams of social, economic, biological, mathematical and policy-led research, we are co-producing detailed knowledge on the biological, structural and socio-economic factors that shape networks of chicken production and distribution. The RVC-led UKRI GCRF One Health Poultry Hub brings together leading laboratory, clinical, veterinary and social scientists, as well as skilled communications experts, programme support staff and external stakeholders.  


PANDORA Programme

The PANDORA programme is about understanding the socio-ecological drivers of emerging zoonosis and persistence of transboundary pathogens at human/environment/wildlife/domestic animal interfaces in contrasted landscapes as a means to trial novel veterinary, medical and preventive solutions.  is the core programme and other projects have arisen from this platform, including a Queen Mary’s led UKRI GCRF COVID Lockdown Project and an IDRC funded West-African One-Health Action for Mitigating Outbreaks project.


Zoonoses and Emerging Livestock Systems – Epidemiology and evolution of zoonotic schistosomiasis in a changing world

Hybridisation amongst parasitic agents, particularly concerning those with zoonotic potential, is a major emerging public and veterinary health concern at the interface of evolution, epidemiology, ecology, and control. Working within a One Health framework, the overarching aim of our ZELS projects is to elucidate the complex dynamics of zoonotic hybrid schistosomiasis transmission, with the ultimate goals of improving the health of affected people and their livestock.


SERVAL (SuRveillance EVALuation framework)

A generic framework for the evaluation of animal health surveillance. SERVAL is based on a conceptual model that can be applied to any surveillance system. A set of 22 system attributes are defined and guidelines to their qualitative and/or quantitative assessment are provided.

Animal health surveillance programmes are necessary to obtain quality evidence to inform the management of threats to animal and public health. This investment yields benefits for animal owners and for industries including food and leisure that depend upon a healthy animal population.


Saiga Mass Mortality: ongoing research on causes of mortality in saiga antelope in Kazakhstan and Mongolia

The saiga project is a long-term contribution from RVC to research into understanding of the causes of mortality of the saiga antelope. This species ranges in the Steppes of Asia, in a few localities but is classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature red listing process. The study findings to date provided unique information on the cause of mass mortality of saiga and the impact of PPR on saiga antelope.


Epidemiology of Tuberculosis in Cattle

We study the epidemiology of tuberculosis in cattle using a combination of fieldwork and the analysis of big data. Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is caused by infection with Mycobacterium bovis. It is the most pressing animal health problem in Great Britain. Around 40,000 cattle test bTB-positive each year and are slaughtered in an effort to control this disease. This comes at a cost to the taxpayer of around £100 million per year in surveillance testing and compensation.


Field approaches to identifying tuberculosis in badger populations

We study the epidemiology of tuberculosis in wild badgers using a combination of fieldwork, laboratory investigations and long-term data analysis.

Tuberculosis (TB) occurs worldwide and affects many animals (farmed and wild) as well as humans. In cattle, TB is caused by infection with the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis and is sometimes referred to as bovine TB.


Interactions between species: Implications for disease transmission

A study of the contact patterns between a wide range of species to better understand the risks of disease transmission between livestock, wildlife and people. Many diseases spread between species. Humans are no exception: we share most of our infectious diseases with other hosts. This means we may become infected from other species (for example, catching rabies through being bitten by an infected dog) or we may be the source of infection to other species (for example, spreading antibiotic-resistant bacteria to livestock or pets).


Epidemiology of Tuberculosis in Meerkats of the Kalahari

Research project by the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø investigating the epidemiology of Tuberculosis in meerkats in the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa.

Meerkats (Suricata suricatta) are social mammals that live in groups. A potential disadvantage of being social is that infectious diseases are more likely to spread. Tuberculosis (TB: a bacterial infection) was first detected in wild meerkats in southern Africa in the late 1990s.


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