§ The Countess of Marasked Her Majesty's Government:
What proportion of cattle which are tuberculin test reactors are found to have active infection upon post-mortem. [HL651]
§ Lord DonoughueIn 1997, 3,298 cattle in Great Britain reacted to the tuberculin test. Of these, 1,477 (45 per cent.) were found, on laboratory test, to be positive forM. bovis. However, it is not possible to estimate from post-mortem results what proportion would be infectious to other animals or to humans.
§ The Countess of Marasked Her Majesty's Government:
What proportion of cattle showing inconclusive reactions to tuberculin tests are subsequently found to be clear on further testing. [HL652]
§ Lord DonoughueAn analysis of data for 1996 showed that 5,091 cattle in Great Britain reacted inconclusively to the tuberculin test at the standard interpretation. Of these, 3,817 (75 per cent.) did not react on the second test, and a further 797 remained inconclusive. Of these, 612 animals (12 per cent. of the original total) did not react to a third test. Available data do not indicate the final result for 215 animals, but these are likely to have tested negative.
§ The Countess of Marasked Her Majesty's Government:
What proportion of cattle which are tuberculin test reactors are found at post-mortem to have udder lesions caused by the organism. [HL653]
§ Lord DonoughueThis information is not routinely recorded, but it is rare that TB incidents which suggest spread via the udder are found.
§ The Countess of Marasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will list the current research projects funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to discover the cause of, and possible solutions to, tuberculosis in cattle. [HL655]
§ Lord DonoughueIn addition to the randomised badger culling trial designed by the Bourne Group, the Ministry is currently funding the following research projects:
- Analysis of European badger (M. meles) population dynamics and social organisation in a population naturally infected with M. bovis.
WA 239 - Badgers and bovine tuberculosis: a proactive strategy for the control of bovine TB in badger populations.
- Modelling badger populations, the epidemiology of natural infection with M. bovis, the risk of spread to cattle and the consequences of control.
- The consequences of perturbation caused by badger removal for the control of TB in cattle: a study of behaviour.
- Longitudinal study of natural Mycobacterium bovis in badgers.
- An epidemiological study of a badger population naturally infected with M. bovis.
- Development of vaccine candidates for protection of badgers against infection with Mycobacterium bovis.
- The development of animal models to test candidate vaccines for M. bovis in badgers.
- Blood tests to distinguish vaccinated from TB infected cattle; Interferon assay to improve diagnostics in reactors.
- Assessment of the humaneness, efficacy, usability and non-target risk of leg-cuffs for capturing badgers.
WA 240 - The effect on the viability of M. bovis of freezing samples prior to culture testing.
- An assessment of the validity of the current necropsy protocol to detect tuberculous lesions in the badger.
- A spatial analysis using GIS of risk factors associated with TB incidents in cattle herds in England and Wales.
- Perturbation study (culture and serology for M. bovis carried out at VLA).
- Bovine TB in badgers and the risks to cattle: a spatial analysis.
- DNA fingerprinting of samples from badger culling trial.
- NVL (no visible lesion) tuberculous badger: pathology, immunology and epidemiology.
The research programme for 1999–2000 has been reviewed in the light of the recommendations of the Krebs report and a research requirement document was published in April 1998. Research will be focused on understanding the causes of outbreaks of bovine TB and developing improved strategies to reduce the number of outbreaks, especially by creating a cattle vaccine. Contracts for this work are currently being finalised.