Forty years of immunology research at ILRI: An impact narrative

Over the years, cutting edge tools, technologies and approaches have been implemented to increase understanding of the bovine immune system and mechanisms of pathogen control. Despite limited funding, compared to human immunological research, ILRAD/ILRI have made tremendous progress in bovine immunological research which remains a research focus at ILRI. Continue reading →

The global impact of ILRI’s epidemiology expertise: An impact narrative

ILRI’s integration of epidemiology with agricultural economics and other social sciences has offered a unique approach for assessing the economic impact of animal disease, and for evaluating the implications of intervention options, whether at farm, national or global level. Continue reading →

African trypanosomiasis resistance in cattle by a transgenic approach

This project proposes a new strategy for creating resistance in cattle to African trypanosomiasis, a major disease that affects agricultural production in broad regions of Africa. The long-term aim is to generate genetically modified cattle, which carry a gene that imparts resistance to African trypanosomes. Continue reading →

The known and the unknowns: A multipathogen survey to identify diseases in cattle in Tanzania

Disease in livestock is one of the main factors contributing to limited productivity and incomes among cattle farmers in Tanzania. This poster, prepared for the Tropentag 2014 conference, presents findings from a survey conducted by ILRI among cattle farmers in Tanzania to confirm the presence of well-known cattle pathogens and to investigate the presence of cattle pathogens rarely looked for in the area before. Continue reading →

ILRI initiative seeks new-generation vaccines against major livestock diseases

This poster explains the work of the Vaccine Biosciences group at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) which seeks to a hub of research excellence dedicated to developing vaccine-based solutions to reduce disease burdens that limit livestock productivity in smallholder and pastoral farming systems. Continue reading →

New study shows that waterbucks are an important source of tick-borne diseases of livestock

A recent study has found that wildlife are an important source of tick-borne diseases of livestock, with 70% of emerging pathogens originating from wildlife. The study found evidence of previously unknown parasite genotypes that may be infective to both small ruminants and equids (horses). Climate change could fuel the spread of such pathogens through the spread of their tick vector further impacting livestock production. Continue reading →

Analysing African Swine fever epidemiology on the Kenya-Uganda border

On 2-3 October 2013 the closing workshop of the BecA‐ILRI‐CSIRO‐AusAID project on Understanding African Swine fever (ASF) epidemiology as a basis for control was held in Nairobi, Kenya. Participants who included project staff and other invited guests of the workshop titled ‘Analysis of African Swine fever epidemiology and pig value chains to underpin design of … Continue reading →

What is known, what is unknown and what do we need to know in order to better control lung plague in Africa

A successful Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP) meeting was held in ILRI-Addis on the 25-26 Jan, 2013.  The meeting was sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), German and international development cooperation (GTZ) and the Livestock and Fish CGIAR Research Program. The purpose of the meeting was to assess the current status of CBPP … Continue reading →

East Coast fever vaccine national distribution launch

‘For four decades, the Nairobi-based International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and its predecessor (the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases, ILRAD) have conducted research on the lethal tick-borne cattle disease known as East Coast fever. ILRI’s work has focused on developing a new-generation ‘subunit’ vaccine, comprising molecular components of the causative parasite, while also … Continue reading →

Republic of Kenya Zoonotic Disease Unit (ZDU) launched

The Kenyan ministries of livestock and development and public health and sanitation yesterday, 3 October 2012 officially launched the Zoonotic Disease Unit (ZDU) in Nairobi. ‘The ZDU is a One Health office in Kenya that was formed to address the gap that exists between animal and human health sectors in terms of prevention and control … Continue reading →

Designing bovine T cell vaccines via reverse immunology – Highlighting our Publications

T cell responses contribute to immunity against many intracellular infections. There is, for example, strong evidence that major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) play an essential role in mediating immunity to East Coast fever (ECF), a fatal lymphoproliferative disease of cattle prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa and caused by Theileria parva. o … Continue reading →

Research to control lung plague (CBPP) gets a major boost: New project launched

On 2 July 2012 a new project was launched to develop a novel subunit cattle vaccine for the control of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), known as lung plague. This was announced by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) under the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF). ‘CIFSRF, … Continue reading →

A minor role of CD4+ T lymphocytes in the control of a primary infection of cattle with Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. Mycoides: Highlighting our publications

Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides, is an important livestock disease in Africa. The current control measures rely on a vaccine with limited efficacy and occasional severe side effects. Knowledge of the protective arms of immunity involved in this disease will be beneficial for the development of an improved vaccine. In … Continue reading →

Professor Joachim Frey visits ILRI’s Biotechnology Theme

On January 18, the Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) team at ILRI Nairobi had the pleasure of hosting Prof. Joachim Frey from the University of Bern in Switzerland. Prof. Frey, the current chair of the International Organization of Mycoplasmology, and one of the world’s leading experts on CBPP gave a seminar to ILRI staff on ‘Molecular epidemiology … Continue reading →

Why animals matter to human health and nutrition

Human, livestock and environmental health are inextricably linked, Sixty-one per cent of all diseases are ‘zoonotic’ –that is, transmissible between animals and humans. Continue reading →