Scientists ‘must not become complacent’ when assessing pandemic threat from flu viruses
As our ability to assess the pandemic risk from strains of influenza virus increases with the latest scientific developments, we must not allow ourselves to become complacent that the most substantial threats have been identified, argue an international consortium of scientists.
Understanding the bushmeat market: why do people risk infection from bat meat?
Ebola, as with many emerging infections, is likely to have arisen due to man’s interaction with wild animals – most likely the practice of hunting and eating wild meat known as ‘bushmeat’. A team of researchers led by the University of Cambridge and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has surveyed almost six hundred people across southern Ghana to find out what drives consumption of bat bushmeat – and how people perceive the risks associated with the practice.
Why live vaccines may be most effective for preventing Salmonella infections
Vaccines against Salmonella that use a live, but weakened, form of the bacteria are more effective than those that use only dead fragments because of the particular way in which they stimulate the immune system, according to research from the University of Cambridge published today.
Global snapshot of infectious canine cancer shows how to control the disease
While countries with dog control policies have curbed an infectious and gruesome canine cancer, the disease is continuing to lurk in the majority of dog populations around the world, particularly in areas with many free-roaming dogs. This is according to research published in the open access journal BMC Veterinary Research.
First national model for bovine TB calls for greater focus on cattle
The majority of outbreaks of bovine TB within cattle herds are caused by multiple transmissions routes – including failed cattle infection tests, cattle movement and reinfection from environmental reservoirs such as infected pastures and wildlife – according to the first national model of bovine TB spread, published today.
Winners of the first Odile Bain Memorial Prize announced
University Senior Lecturer Dr Cinzia Cantacessi is one of two winners of the inaugural Odile Bain Memorial Prize for early career scientists who have made an outstanding contribution to the fields of medical and veterinary parasitology.
11,000-year-old living dog cancer reveals its secrets
Scientists have sequenced the genome of the world’s oldest continuously surviving cancer, a transmissible genital cancer that affects dogs.
