Research News
Rapid antigen testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection in a university setting in Ireland: Learning from a 6-week pilot study
A recently published article in (opens in a new window)Public Health in Practice looks at a pilot study using rapid antigen testing which was conducted in the UCD Veterinary Hospital over a 6-week period in March and April 2021. The study was designed to evaluate the establishment of a testing programme in a university setting and assess some of the factors that impact participation in such a study among both staff and students.The trial showed that antigen testing could be carried out effectively and efficiently in a university setting with a relatively large cohort, on a regular basis. The study also identified differences in participation in the staff and student cohort, suggesting different approaches are needed to incentivise different cohorts. Read the full article here: (opens in a new window)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666535222000313?via%3Dihub
A computer model for Johne’s disease in Ireland
A computer model for Johne’s disease in Ireland has now been developed, providing an in silico representation of the behaviour of this disease in Irish dairy herds. Models such as this can be very useful, providing a means to ask ‘what if’ questions to assist with programme decision-making. This work was funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and will support the Irish Johne’s Control Programme, run by Animal Health Ireland. Floor Biemans completed this work in collaboration with colleagues in INRAE in France, Jamie Tratalos and Simon More from CVERA, Lawrence Gavey from Animal Health Ireland and George Ramsbottom from Teagasc. The work is presented in three published papers. The (opens in a new window)first paper describes the within-herd model, which captures the compact spring calving pattern that is a feature in many Irish herds. This is then extended in the (opens in a new window)second paper to a regional model, incorporating actual animal movements between Irish dairy farms. In the (opens in a new window)third paper, Biemans et al. focus on opportunities to control the spread of infection between herds through risk-based trading (based on the Johne’s herd indicator as currently used in the programme) and the impact of a range of possible control strategies within infected herds. Risk-based trading effectively reduced the increase in herd prevalence over a 10-year-period in Ireland; however, for risk-based trading to be effective, a high percentage of dairy herds had to participate. The most important within-herd measures were improved herd hygiene and early culling of highly infectious cows. Combining risk-based trading with within-herd measures reduced within-herd prevalence even more effectively.
Understanding the dog population of the Republic of Ireland: insight from existing data sources?
Reliable information about national pet dog populations is an important contributor to informed decision-making, both by governments and national dog welfare organisations. In some countries, there is an improved understanding of aspects of the national pet dog population, but as yet limited published information is available in Ireland. This study highlights the challenges faced when using existing national data to gain insights into the dog population of Ireland. The linking of existing national databases (individual dog identification, dog licencing, dog control statistics) has the potential to improve both the representativeness and accuracy of information about the Irish pet dog population. In the next phases of our work, we focus on the work of dog welfare organisations, given both the increased role played by these organisations and the substantial public funding that has been committed in this sector. This study, which is the first in a series of three, was led by Simon More in collaboration with colleagues from CVERA, the School of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Health Ireland, and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. [(opens in a new window)Irish Veterinary Journal 75, 16 (2022)]
Recent Publications from the UCD Centre for Veterinary Epidemiology & Risk Analysis (CVERA)
See below for some recent publications by, or in association with, staff from the UCD Centre for Veterinary Epidemiology and Risk Analysis (CVERA):
Biemans, F., Arnoux, S., More, S.J., Tratalos, J.A., Gavey, L., Ezanno, P., 2022. The effect of risk-based trading and within-herd measures on Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis spread within and between Irish dairy herds. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 209, 105779. (opens in a new window)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2022.105779
Biemans, F., Tratalos, J., Arnoux, S., Ramsbottom, G., More, S.J., Ezanno, P., 2022. Modelling transmission of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis between Irish dairy cattle herds. Veterinary Research 53, 45. (opens in a new window)https://doi.org/10.1186/s13567-022-01066-5
Byrne, A.W., Barrett, D., Breslin, P., Fanning, J., Casey, M., Madden, J.M., Lesellier, S., Gormley, E., 2022. Bovine tuberculosis in youngstock cattle: a narrative review. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 9, 1000124. (opens in a new window)https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.1000124
Douglass, A.P., O’Grady, L., McGrath, G., Tratalos, J., Mee, J.F., Barrett, D., Sánchez-Miguel, C., More, S.J., Madouasse, A., Green, M., Madden, J.M., McAloon, C.G., 2022. Development of a syndromic surveillance system for Irish dairy cattle using milk recording data. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 204, 105667. (opens in a new window)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2022.105667
More, S.J., Collins, D.M., Meunier, N.V., Messam, L.L.McV., Doyle, R., Maguire, A., Murray, S., Reilly, P., Lawler, C., 2022. Understanding the dog population of the Republic of Ireland: insight from existing data sources? Irish Veterinary Journal 75, 16. (opens in a new window)https://doi.org/10.1186/s13620-022-00223-8
More, S.J., Madden, J., McAloon, C.I., 2022. Prescribing and sales of intramammary antimicrobials in Ireland in 2019 and 2020: the role of milk purchasers. Irish Veterinary Journal (in press). (opens in a new window)https://irishvetjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles
van Roon, A.M., Madouasse, A., Toft, N., Santman-Berends, I.M.G.A., Gethmann, J., Eze, J., Humphry, R.W., Graham, D., Guelbenzu-Gonzalo, M., Nielen, M., More, S.J., Mercat, M., Fourichon, C., Sauter-Louis, C., Frössling, J., Ågren, E., Gunn, G.J., Henry, M.K., van Schaik, G., 2022. Output-based assessment of herd-level freedom from infection in endemic situations: Application of a Bayesian Hidden Markov model. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 204, 105662. (opens in a new window)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2022.105662
News & updates from UCD CVERA can be found at: http://www.ucd.ie/cvera/news/