December 2023
- Minister McConalogue launches CVERA's research strategy to support national animal disease control
Pictured left to right are Professor Simon More, Director of the Centre for Veterinary Epidemiology and Risk Analysis, School of Veterinary Medicine at University College Dublin (UCD), Charlie McConalogue, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and Professor Rory Breathnach, Dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine at UCD, at the launch at the Minister’s office of the Centre’s Strategic Plan for 2024-27 (December 2023).
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Minister McConalogue launched CVERA's Strategic Plan in Dublin during December 2023. The plan is for the period 2024-2027. During 2023, a strategic review of CVERA was conducted in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine and other principal stakeholders. CVERA’s focus is on ongoing and future research to support national animal disease control in Ireland. As a result of the review, CVERA developed clearly defined strategic goals, objectives and expected outcomes for the medium term. These are presented in the CVERA Strategic Plan 2024-2027. Four main strategic themes were identified including: strategic leadership and impact, scientific excellence, communications and engagement, and organisational effectiveness. The UCD CVERA Strategic Plan 2024-2027 is available in the report section (https://www.ucd.ie/cvera/reports/).
October 2023
- bTB eradication in Ireland: where to from here?
In an earlier paper from 2019, Prof Simon More concluded that successful eradication of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) from Ireland by 2030 would be unlikely, given control strategies in place at that time plus the addition of badger vaccination. He argued that additional measures will be needed, broadly focusing on bTB risks from wildlife, risk-based cattle controls, and industry commitment. This paper reflects on recent progress in the national programme, and considers these points in further detail. (opens in a new window)[More (2023) Irish Veterinary Journal 76, 11]. - TB Forum - opinions by the Scientific Working Group (SWG)
The Scientific Working Group (SWG) provides independent scientific advice to the national TB Forum. Since its first meeting in March 2021, the SWG has produced a number of scientific opinions, addressing a range of issues relevant to the national eradication programme. The first four of these opinions were recently migrated to Food Risk Assess Europe, an open access repository established by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) of selected scientific articles from national food safety agencies (and equivalent organisations) of EU Member States. These opinions include:
- How can DAFM best make use of whole genome sequencing to improve the effectiveness of the TB eradication programme? (opens in a new window)[Griffin et al. (2023) Food Risk Assess Europe 1, 0006E].
- What topics should be prioritised for the provision of funding by DAFM using the ERAD TB research fund in the period 2022-2024? (opens in a new window)[Griffin et al. (2023) Food Risk Assess Europe 1, 0007E].
- What is the scope for existing (including recently developed) diagnostic methods to detect infected cattle which are not currently detected by the existing programme? (opens in a new window)[Griffin et al. (2023) Food Risk Assess Europe 1, 0008E].
- What is the proportional contribution of cattle-to-cattle, badger-to-cattle, and deer-to-cattle TB transmission to bovine TB in Ireland? (opens in a new window)[Griffin et al. (2023) Food Risk Assess Europe 1, 0009E]. - Investigation of the association between the Enferplex bovine tuberculosis antibody test and the future risk of bovine tuberculosis in Irish cattle in infected herds: a pilot field study
The Single Intradermal Comparative Tuberculin Test (SICTT) and the interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) assay are the approved diagnostic tests for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in Ireland. The aim of this pilot study was to explore if there was any added diagnostic benefit from applying the Enferplex bTB test (an antibody test) in severe bTB herd breakdowns after the removal of cattle that had tested positive to the SICTT and the IFN-γ test. In addition to the normal bTB testing and management protocols, the animals in these herds that tested negative to SICTT and the IFN-γ test were followed forward for a period of two years. All animals were tested by Enferplex at enrolment. The time to subsequent bTB detection (diagnosed with SICTT/IFN-γ tests or detection of visible lesions at routine slaughter) for animals that tested positive or negative to the Enferplex bTB test at the start of the study was compared using Kaplan–Meier survival curves and Cox based survival models. Of the 484 enrolled animals (from 11 herds), 171 (35.3%) and 151 (31.1%) initially tested positive in the Enferplex assay under the high sensitivity and high specificity interpretation settings respectively. The results of the survival analysis showed that there was no difference in the survival time to a positive diagnosis with bTB during the follow-up period between animals initially classified as positive and negative by the Enferplex test. Further research is warranted to explore the potential benefit of using the Enferplex test in other scenarios. [(opens in a new window)Madden et al. (2023) Veterinary Research Communications]. - The opinions of farm animal veterinarians in Ireland on antimicrobial use and their role in antimicrobial stewardship
Antibiotic use and resistance in animal production are a concern to public health, and there is an urgent need to reduce antibiotic use in farm animals. There are currently no available studies on the opinions of Irish farm animal veterinarians on antibiotic use, reduction opportunities and their relationships with farmers. A digital survey was developed and sent out to Irish farm animal veterinarians. This paper presents the results of a cross-sectional study of Irish farm animal veterinarians’ attitudes towards antimicrobial stewardship, their prescribing behaviours, antibiotic reduction opportunities and their attitudes for the future of antibiotic use. The veterinarian-farmer relationship is examined and potential interventions to reduce antibiotic use on farms are identified. This paper by Sorcha O'Connor et al. was conducted in collaboration with UCD CVERA, Utrecht University and Southeast Technological University. (opens in a new window)[O'Connor et al. (2023) Irish Veterinary Journal 76, 28]. - A mixed-method survey to understand the role of dog welfare organisations in Ireland, including reported challenges and potential solutions
Dog welfare organisations (DWOs) in Ireland are recognised as an instrumental pillar of the animal welfare sector, with some receiving substantial public funding. A survey of DWOs in Ireland was conducted to gain a better understanding of their role and function, including their policies and procedures and the rehoming of dogs to other regions. The authors wanted to get a better understanding of the challenges experienced by DWOs in fulfilling their role and their perspectives on potential solutions to these challenges. Reported challenges included a general lack of funding, limited public awareness of the importance of dog welfare and insufficient capacity to handle dog numbers. To address these challenges, the DWOs highlighted the potential contribution of subsidised programmes and access to resources to educate potential owners. This study, led by Claire McKernan from Queen’s University Belfast in collaboration with UCD CVERA, UCD Veterinary Medicine and DAFM, provides important insights into the roles and functions of DWOs and challenges they experience in Ireland. It is hoped that the findings from this research will inform future research investigating potential solutions to these challenges as well as the development of policy in Ireland. [(opens in a new window)McKernan et al. (2023) Irish Veterinary Journal 76, 27]. - Geovet23
The International Conference of Spatial Epidemiology, Geostatistics and GIS (Geovet23) took place in Teramo, Italy in September. The conference brought together a diverse group of researchers, policymakers and agencies who are international experts in spatial epidemiology, spatial statistics and Geographical Information Systems as applied to animal health, public health and food safety. Conference themes included GIS and One Health, remote sensing, network analysis for transmission pathways, novel data sources, modelling, genetics and bioinformatics, environmental impact on animal health, artificial intelligence, ecology and epidemiology. Jamie Tratalos presented on "(opens in a new window)The use of spatial metrics to select regions for enhanced bovine tuberculosis control measures in Ireland". Guy McGrath, who was a member of the Scientific Committee, presented on “(opens in a new window)Reducing uncertainty in spatial analysis involving fragmentated farms”. More information about the conference can be found at (opens in a new window)https://geovet2023.izs.it/
- M. bovis 2022 - special supplement of the Irish Veterinary Journal
The Seventh International conference on Mycobacterium bovis took place in Galway during June 2022. Papers resulting from a number of the plenary speakers have been published in a special supplement of the Irish Veterinary Journal. These papers are varied, including a focus on eradication programmes and strategies from a range of different countries. There are also papers with a focus on disciplinary advances, relating to the social sciences, quantitative genetics and comparative genomics. The open access special supplement, which was edited by Prof Eamonn Gormley, is available at (opens in a new window)https://irishvetjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/supplements/volume-76-supplement-1
June 2023
- On-going bTB diagnostic test research
The Single Intradermal Comparative Tuberculin Test (SICTT) is the primary screening test for detection of bTB in infected herds. The interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) assay is also used as an ancillary test, interpreted in parallel with the SICTT in severe bTB breakdowns, to improve the sensitivity of detection of bTB. There are two on-going bTB diagnostic studies that CVERA is currently involved with. In one study, the impact of changing the threshold criteria of the IFN-γ assay is being explored. From 2018, the threshold of the B-A component changed to B-A > 80. The aim of this study is to follow individual animals that had initially tested negative to the IFN-γ assay, and to monitor any change in bTB status over time with a focus on those animals that would have been removed under the old criteria (0 < B-A < 80). Separately, in a pilot study, an antibody bTB test is being investigated. The objective of this study is to explore the possible added benefit of using the Enferplex test in bTB herd breakdowns after the removal of cattle that had tested positive to the SICTT and IFN-γ assay. Animals were recruited in newly disclosed bTB herd breakdowns, Enferplex tested and then followed over time for two years. Both studies are near completion and the findings will help inform policy on diagnostic tests in the national programme. - Potential of Whole Genome Sequencing and its use in bTB epidemiology
Work is ongoing to explore the utility of molecular biology and, more specifically, Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), in applied bTB epidemiological investigations. A descriptive epidemiology study is being carried out to elucidate the key decisions that are needed to establish connectivity between genetically identical, but geographically diverse, bTB isolates from cattle and badgers. The key connectivity decision tree is almost complete. The next stage in the project will be to apply this ‘Connectivity Decision Tree’ (CDT) to a number of clusters of Irish bTB outbreaks, which fulfil the criteria above. Following that, it is hoped to use internationally available, open access machine learning tools to assess its use in an Irish context. - A framework for assessing the confidence in freedom from infection in animal disease control programmes
CVERA was a collaborator in a European project, STOC free (Surveillance Tool for Outcome-based Comparison of FREEdom from infection; (opens in a new window)https://www.stocfree.eu), which was recently finalised. The primary aim of the project was the development of methods (specifically, the STOC free model) to allow a standardised and harmonised comparison of the outputs of different control programmes (CPs) for cattle diseases. The STOC free model can be used to evaluate the probability of freedom from infection for herds in CPs and to determine whether these CPs comply with the European Union's pre-defined output-based standards. In the project, bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) was chosen as the case disease because of the diversity in CPs in the six participating countries. It was concluded that the STOC free model is applicable to diseases that are endemic, given that it needs the presence of some infection to estimate parameters and enable convergence. In countries where infection-free status has been achieved, a scenario tree model could be a better suited tool. This study was led by G. van Schaik from Utrecht University and Royal GD in the Netherlands in collaboration with colleagues from France, Ireland, Sweden, Germany, and Scotland. The paper is published in the OIE Scientific and Technical Review 42, 210-217. (opens in a new window)https://doi.org/10.20506/rst.42.3364 - An observational study of ear-tagged calf mortality (1 to 100 days) on Irish dairy farms and associations between biosecurity practices and calf mortality on farms participating in a Johne's disease control program
Calf mortality rates vary between countries and show differences in temporal trends. Most, however, are characterized by high levels of between-farm variability. Explaining this variation can be difficult because herd-level information on management practices relevant to calf health is often not available. The Irish Johne's Control Programme (IJCP) contains a substantial on-farm monitoring program called the Veterinary Risk Assessment and Management Plan (VRAMP). Although this risk assessment is largely focused on factors relevant to the transmission of paratuberculosis, many of its principles are good practice biocontainment policies that are also advocated for the protection of calf health. The objectives of this study were to quantify mortality in, and determine risk factors for, ear-tagged Irish dairy calves between 2016 and 2020 using both survival and risk approaches, to determine whether 100-d cumulative mortality hazard was higher in ear-tagged calves within herds registered in the IJCP versus those that were not registered in the IJCP and whether there were differences between these cohorts over time, and within IJCP herds, to determine whether VRAMP score or changes in VRAMP score were associated with 100-d cumulative mortality hazard. Excluding perinatal mortality, the overall 100-d cumulative mortality hazard was 4.1%, declining between 2016 and 2020. Cox proportional hazards models showed that cumulative mortality hazard was greater in male calves, increased with increasing herd size, was highest in calves born in herds that contract-reared heifers, and lowest in those born in mixed dairy-beef enterprises. Furthermore, increasing VRAMP scores (indicating higher risk for paratuberculosis transmission) were positively associated with increased calf mortality hazard. The study suggests that implementation of recommended biocontainment practices to control paratuberculosis in IJCP herds was associated with a reduction in calf mortality hazard. This project was led by Conor McAloon from Herd Health and Animal Husbandry in the School of Veterinary Medicine in collaboration with colleagues from UCD CVERA, the School of Veterinary Science and Medicine in the University of Nottingham, Animal Health Ireland, and the Teagasc Animal and Bioscience Research Department. This paper is published in the Journal of Dairy Science (in press). (opens in a new window)https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2022-22519 - GeoVet 2023
GeoVet 2023, the International Conference of Spatial Epidemiology, Geostatistics and GIS applied to animal health, public health and food safety, will take place in Teramo, Italy from 19-21 September 2023. The conference will bring together researchers, policymakers, industry, and international experts in spatial epidemiology, spatial statistics and Geographic Information Systems as applied to animal health, public health, and food safety. Experts from different disciplines will share their knowledge and perspectives, promoting multi-sectoral approaches to provide tools and methodologies for analysing and visualizing data originating from diverse sources under a One Health approach. In addition to the conference programme, several pre-conference workshops will be held. Dr Annamaria Conte, Head of Statistics and GIS Unit of the National Reference Centre for Epidemiology from IZS-Teramo is Chair of GeoVet 2023. Programme details, workshops and registration can be found at (opens in a new window)https://geovet2023.izs.it/
March 2023
- Can Ingoing Contact Chains and other cattle movement network metrics help predict herd-level bovine tuberculosis in Irish cattle herds?
Over many years, CVERA has conducted research to investigate the role played by cattle with residual (but undetected) infection in the recurrence of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in herds, and also in ongoing spread due to cattle movement. Many studies have shown an association between inward cattle movements and bTB risk in Irish herds. This study uses novel methods to consider this relationship in greater detail, calculating Ingoing Contact Chains (ICCs), which, in addition to direct moves into the herd, account for all other herds that an animal has passed through during its life. The bTB status of each herd in the ICC was also recorded, to assess whether the number of bTB positive herds in the ICC offered better predictive power for bTB in the case herd, compared to the number of all herds in the ICC, irrespective of their bTB status. This study found that cattle movements directly into the herd were risk factors for subsequent bTB restrictions, with the number of herds from which animals were derived being the most important of these. The number of source herds with bTB was a better predictor of bTB in the case herds than was the total number of source herds (irrespective of bTB status), but only when future test results of the source herds, after the animals had moved into the case herd, were taken into account. The results suggest that in many cases bTB infected animals are moving out of herds before being identified through testing; therefore, risk-based trading approaches should not rely solely on the previous test history of source herds as a proxy for future risk. This study was led by Jamie Tratalos in CVERA in collaboration with CVERA colleagues and Helen Fielding in The Epidemiology, Economics and Risk Assessment (EERA) Group in The Roslin Institute. [(opens in a new window)Preventive Veterinary Medicine 211, 105816 (2023)] - A qualitative exploration of challenges and opportunities for dog welfare in Ireland post COVID-19, as perceived by dog welfare organisations
This study is part of a larger project investigating the owned dog population in Ireland. Here, we report on challenges and opportunities to improve dog welfare in Ireland, as perceived by dog welfare organisations (DWOs), which are a previously underutilised stakeholder. The DWOs perceived poor public awareness of appropriate dog-husbandry, inadequate legislation enforcement, negative impact of puppy farms, and increased financial and volunteer burden. The DWOs perceived an increased numbers of households acquiring dogs, difficulties in rehoming, and financial challenges as threatening their viability as organisations and Irish dog welfare. Greater enforcement of legislation, greater communication between organisations and the government, and more media awareness were seen as helpful by the DWOs to improve dog welfare standards and their organisations. This study was led by Blain Murphy from the Institute for Global Food Security in Queens University Belfast, in association with colleagues from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), the UCD Veterinary Sciences Centre, UCD CVERA, and Animal Health Ireland (AHI). [(opens in a new window)Animals 12, 3289 (2022)] - Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) mapper
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is currently circulating in certain species of wild bird populations in Ireland. The 2022/2023 winter season has also seen 2 HPAI outbreaks in commercial flocks. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine offer up-to-date advice to farmers and to the general public ((opens in a new window)https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/50ce4-avian-influenza-bird-flu/). CVERA provides mapping supports to DAFM to aid in the management of outbreaks in commercial flocks. A component of research in CVERA facilitates the mapping of HPAI positive cases in wild birds and non-commercial captive birds through a public-facing mapping interface which can be viewed at (opens in a new window)https://arcg.is/19zHrf0. - Contributing to the COVID-19 scientific knowledge base
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, CVERA colleagues have continued to contribute to the scientific knowledge base. Summaries of two recent COVID-19 research papers are presented here: - Assessing pandemic era stadium events and infections using mobile phone-based population mobility data: An exploratory study from Ireland, 2021
Mass gathering events (MGEs) presented particular challenges during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and sporting, religious, music and other cultural events held during the early months of the pandemic, without social distancing or other safeguards, have been regarded as so-called ‘super spreader’ events. This study explores associations between MGE attendance and local COVID-19 infections during the five weeks subsequent to a series of six sporting MGEs, ‘the All-Ireland Finals’, which were held in the Republic of Ireland’s largest stadium, Croke Park in Dublin, during August-September 2021. The study draws on a high-resolution human population mobility dataset to quantify journeys to/from the stadium area on MGE days by destination. The anonymised, aggregated, data used is based on mobile phone usage, and consists of a series of fine-grained geographical origin-destination matrices presenting daily estimates of area to area journey numbers. No evidence was found of association between attendance at any of the six 2021 All-Ireland MGEs and COVID-19 infections over subsequent five week periods. This finding contrasts with studies of comparable MGEs in 2020 which may point to the effectiveness of transmission mitigation policies and behaviours. This study was led by Aidan Condron in the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in association with staff from UCD CVERA. [(opens in a new window)Statistical Journal of the IAOS 38, 1143-1157 (2022)] - Risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection in Healthcare Workers following an identified nosocomial COVID-19 exposure during Waves 1-3 of the pandemic in Ireland
Healthcare workers (HCWs) have increased exposure and subsequent risk of infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). This case-control study was conducted to investigate the contemporaneous risks associated with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection amongst HCWs following in-work exposure to a confirmed coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) case. We demonstrate that male sex, Eastern European nationality, exposure location, PPE use and vaccination status all impact the likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 infection following nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 exposure. The findings draw attention to the need for continuing emphasis on PPE use and its persisting benefit in the era of COVID-19 vaccinations. We suggest that non-work-related factors may influence infection risk seen in certain ethnic groups and that infection risk in high-risk HCW roles (e.g. nursing) may be the result of repeated exposures rather than risks inherent to a single event. This study was led by Jonathan McGrath and colleagues in St. James’s Hospital in association with staff from the UCD Veterinary Sciences Centre and UCD CVERA. [(opens in a new window)Epidemiology & Infection 150, e186 (2022)]