Annie Cook wins the best student poster prize at the veterinary epidemiology and economics conference

The 13th conference of the International Society for Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics (ISVEE) held in Maastricht, the Netherlands on 20-24 August 2012 saw many International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) scientists participating in various capacities. Annie Cook a PhD student with the People, Animals and their Zoonoses (PAZ) project won the prize for the best student poster. … 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 →

Deadline extended to July 6, 2012: PENAPH technical workshop abstract call

The Participatory Epidemiology Network for Animal and Public Health (PENAPH) scientific committee, is pleased to announce that the deadline for the submission of the 2012 technical workshop abstracts has been extended to Friday July 6, 2011. The response to the call has been very encouraging, we have received a number of high quality abstracts and … Continue reading →

A Day in the Life of the PAZ Project: Fascioliasis in Western Kenya

‘A Day in the Life of the People, Animals and their Zoonoses (PAZ) Project’, is series of blog articles by several members of ILRI staff working on the PAZ project based in Busia. These staff members, share their first hand experiences, challenges, and highlights of the project, in this post George Omondi Acharry, a laboratory … Continue reading →

PENAPH first technical workshop for trainers, practitioners and stakeholders in Participatory Epidemiology (PE) and its applications in animal health, one health and ecohealth

PENAPH will be holding a technical workshop to bring together trainers, practitioners and others interested in Participatory Epidemiology (PE) and its applications in animal health, one health and ecohealth. The organization of the workshop is supported by a grant to the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) from the Rockefeller Foundation through the Empowering National and … Continue reading →

A Day in the Life of the PAZ Project: Tapeworm [taeniasis] infestation in Busia

‘A Day in the Life of the People, Animals and their Zoonoses (PAZ) Project’, is series of blog articles by several members of ILRI staff working on the PAZ project based in Busia. These staff members, share their first hand experiences, challenges, and highlights of the project, in this post Lorren Alumasa, a clinical technician … Continue reading →

Senegal dairy genetics – new project at ILRI

A new project titled, Senegal Dairy Genetics on peri-urban dairy systems in Senegal under the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) – Biotech, Improving utilization of farm animal genetics resources (BT03) group, that works on identifying appropriate genotypes, breeds & breed combination and finding the best options for multiplication and delivery in different production systems commenced … Continue reading →

A Day in the Life of the PAZ Project: Laboratory diagnostic of diseases hosted by animals in the PAZ project area

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), jointly with the University of Edinburgh (UK) and the Kenya Medical Research Institute, with additional support from the Kenyan Department of Veterinary Services, operates a laboratory in the town of Busia, in Western Kenya.  It is here that the People, Animals and their Zoonoses (PAZ) project operates a joint … Continue reading →

A Day in the Life of the PAZ Project: Pig farming and slaughtering in Western Kenya

Busia County, in Western Kenya is the main research area for the People, Animals and their Zoonoses (PAZ) project. Farmers in this County and its environs are slowly adopting pig farming as an alternative way of earning their livelihoods. There is close interaction between pigs and people as they are either tethered within the homestead … Continue reading →

The (neglected) ties binding human and animal health

“Animal diseases make up 60 per cent of all human pathogens and have a significant impact on poverty. Yet for many years, the worst diseases were sorely neglected by the international community. Eric Fevre describes how this turned around, and what researchers are now doing to tackle it. ‘In the far west of rural Kenya, … 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 →

Genetic and expression analysis of cattle identifies candidate genes in pathways responding to Trypanosoma congolense infection: Highlighting our publications

Abstract African bovine trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosoma sp., is a major constraint on cattle productivity in sub-Saharan Africa. Some African Bos taurus breeds are highly tolerant of infection, but the potentially more productive Bos indicus zebu breeds are much more susceptible. Zebu cattle are well adapted for plowing and haulage, and increasing their tolerance of … Continue reading →

Devoted to the farmer and their cow: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) visit to Biotech’s research project sites

The Dairy Genetics East Africa (DGEA) project’s success hinges on the participation of small holders dairy farmers and their willingness to share their knowledge and practices.  Selected project sites include Kaptumo, Siongiroi, Meteitei, Kabras, Butere/Khwisero in Kenya and Wakiso, Bushyenyi in Uganda.  On 27th of June, a field trip in the Kenyan sites to monitor … Continue reading →

Renewed research efforts to tackle African Swine Fever (ASF), ILRI Biotech/BecA collaborative project in the New Agriculturist

Causing up to 100 per cent mortality in previously unaffected animals, African Swine Fever (ASF) is a devastating disease of pigs. Endemic across much of Africa, the disease poses a wider threat to global food security, particularly in East Asia, where at least 50 per cent of the protein consumed is pork, much of it … Continue reading →