Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination

(asked on 23rd February 2017) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which M. Bovis vaccines for bovine animals the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency has access to for the purpose of trials; and what plans her Department has to run bovine vaccination trials.


Answered by
George Eustice Portrait
George Eustice
This question was answered on 28th February 2017

BCG (the attenuated strain of Mycobacterium bovis used worldwide to vaccinate people against TB) remains the only viable option at present for vaccination of cattle against TB.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (formerly Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratory Agency) has shown a protective effect of BCG in cattle and developed delivery regimes for cattle. However, a DIVA test to differentiate vaccinated from infected animals must also be developed, as vaccination with BCG can interfere with the diagnostic tests routinely used to identify TB-infected cattle. APHA has developed such a test and further studies are ongoing to determine whether this will be suitable for use in the field. Once this has been determined, cattle vaccine field trials could be taken forward.

Reticulating Splines