Moredun Leads Global Partnership to Tackle Deadly Disease

An international consortium of researchers lead by Moredun has secured a £1 million Translation Award from the Wellcome Trust to develop a new vaccine to help control a deadly disease of cattle and buffalo in India.

Haemorrhagic septicaemia (HS) is an endemic disease caused by the bacterium Pasteurella multocida that affects cattle, buffalo and camels across South and South-East Asia, Africa and South America.

Transmission of bacteria is airborne and infection leads quickly to systemic disease causing death of the animal within 24 hours.

In India, it is estimated that HS is responsible for approximately half of all cattle and buffalo deaths. The disease is a significant economic problem for resource-poor farmers who rely on these animals for meat, milk, draught power, manure and heat.

The consortium includes scientists from Moredun Research Institute, the University of Glasgow and the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) and plans to develop and test a new vaccine for this disease over the next three years.

It has recruited the help of Inocul8, GALVmed and Indian Immunologicals Ltd (IIL), three organisations with the commercial experience required to get a new vaccine licensed and manufactured in India.

The lead scientist in this consortium, Dr Chris Hodgson from Moredun, is optimistic that this project will be a success.

He commented: "The first step involves us attenuating or weakening the causative bacterium so that it is unable to cause disease.

"The weakened bacterium will be incorporated into a prototype vaccine which will be tested in the UK and trialled in buffalo and cattle across India to determine its effectiveness at controlling this disease."

Dr Roger Parton from the University of Glasgow commented: "It is very satisfying to see the outcome of our joint research with Moredun in the process of being transferred to the market, with the potential for real end-user impact.”

Dr Richard Mole from Inocul8 added: "Current vaccines for Haemorrhagic septicaemia give protection for between six and nine months.

"This improved vaccine is anticipated to be more cross-protective, easier to administer and to give much longer duration of immunity, factors that will have a huge impact on the effective control and prevention of this disease."

Source: Moredun