Field trials for a cattle vaccine and companion skin test for
bovine tuberculosis (bTB) have moved to the next phase, the
Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA) has announced today in a
significant milestone towards disease eradication.
Vaccinating cattle against bTB, has the potential to protect
individual animals from infection and create a barrier to
transmission within herds and across populations. This
would present a significant new tool in the fight against the
disease.
Bovine TB (bTB) is one of the most difficult animal health
challenges faced by the world today and in England alone it costs
around £100 million every year with an estimated further £50
million cost to the wider farming industry. Over 60,000 cattle in
England and Wales were slaughtered during 2023/24 to tackle the
disease.
The field trials are taking place on commercial livestock farms
across the Low-Risk Area in England and the Low TB Area in Wales
and are due to be completed in 2026. Phase 3 will involve at
least 10 farms with 750 animals participating; all the animals
enrolled will receive the CattleBCG vaccine and the companion
DIVA skin test.
Dr Camille Szmaragd Harrison, lead scientist for TB at
the Animal Plant Health Agency, said:
The first two phases of the field trials have successfully
demonstrated that the vaccine and skin test are safe to use. This
third phase has been designed to provide additional information
to guide how they can be deployed most effectively to support
England and Wales eradication strategies.
Launching this next phase of the trials has been a collective
effort, which was only made possible by the unfailing support
from across the farming industry. The team and I are particularly
grateful to the hundreds of farmers who expressed their interest
in taking part in this trial, without them this would not have
been possible.
UK Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss
said:
The UK is at the forefront of global efforts to develop effective
TB cattle vaccines, and we are moving ever closer to having an
operable vaccine.
That we are reaching this stage is testament to our world leading
scientists in organisations like the Animal Plant Health Agency,
but also to the vets and farmers that have taken part in this
trial and previous trials.
If this next phase is successful, we are one step closer to a
vaccine which used in conjunction with other measures will help
tackle this insidious disease that impacts livestock farmers
across the globe.
Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales, Richard Irvine,
said:
I welcome the start of Phase 3 of the field trials on a farm in
Wales. It marks another important step towards having a
deployable Cattle TB Vaccine to support the eradication of TB
from the national herd and to meet the target of a TB free Wales
by 2041.
The first two phases of the field trials have successfully
demonstrated that BCG and its companion Detect Infected among
Vaccinated Animals (DIVA) skin test are safe to use. The third
phase of the field trials involves gathering additional data on
the companion DIVA skin test performance and explore options to
optimise this.
The trial will also assess the companion DIVA skin test on a
broader cohort of CattleBCG vaccinated herds, to further inform
collective planning for delivery. Research studies have
indicated that the vaccine and companion DIVA skin test are safe
and that the test performs well, under controlled APHA facility
environments.
The completion of Phase 3 will mark the end of field trials for
the bTB vaccine. APHA will use data from the trials to support
applications for GB Marketing Authorisations for both BCG use in
cattle and the companion DIVA skin test.
It is hoped that the combination of the CattleBCG vaccine and the
companion DIVA skin test will be deployable in the next few
years. This could help save thousands of cattle every year that
would have been culled to prevent the spread of disease.
The UK government has committed to eradicating TB by 2038 and a
deployable vaccine is key to achieving that. This trial and
earlier trails are a significant milestone towards that target.
More information about the bTB cattle vaccination programme can
be found on the TB Hub.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- Since July 2021, APHA has completed Phase 1 which focused on
the safety and performance of the companion skin test in
unvaccinated animals and Phase 2 that gathered data on the safety
of the CattleBCG vaccine and the safety and performance of the
companion DIVA skin test in vaccinated cattle. Approximately 1100
cattle from 13 herds in the low-risk area in England have taken
part in these two phases.
- The Veterinary Medicines Directorate is responsible for
authorising veterinary medicines in the UK. The World
Organisation for Animal Health is responsible for setting
international standards for animal health and trade.
