The vvIBDV has the potential to kill up to 80% of a flock in a single outbreak

Real-time vvIBDV assay developed
The Center for Diagnostic Assays (CDA) at Ohio State University (OSU) has developed a real-time test to detect very virulent infectious bursal disease virus (vvIBDV) in poultry.

The reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test was developed by Dr Daral Jackwood, head of the CDA and a professor and molecular biologist in the Food Animal Health Research Program at OSU. Dr Jackwood, who has been researching the disease for two decades, is considered an international IBDV expert and has developed and patented various detection tests for different strains of the virus, which is known to mutate quickly into strains that are resistant to available vaccines.

While the less virulent form of IBDV has been in the United States since the 1950s, vvIBDV, a much more deadly and highly contagious form of the virus that has the potential to kill up to 80% of a flock in an outbreak, has not yet been detected in the country. Besides avian influenza, vvIBDV is considered one of the biggest threats to US poultry production, which, according to the US Department of Agriculture, has a farm value in excess of $20bn.

"Until now, no validated rapid assay for the detection of all known vvIBDV strains existed," Dr Jackwood said. "In countries with vvIBDV, this assay is necessary for the effective monitoring and control of this devastating disease. In countries without the virus, the assay would be a first line of defense needed to prevent vvIBDV from entering domestic poultry operations."

Outbreaks of vvIBDV first appeared in Europe during the 1980s and have since been detected in Asia, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

OSU is looking to commercialize the assay kits, a prospect that Dr Jackwood called "very good", and is accepting inquiries from companies that may be interested in producing and marketing them worldwide. More information can be found at the CDA website, www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/cda.

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The Hopkirk Research Center is a collaboration between AgResearch and Massey University

Research institute opens in New Zealand
New Zealand's state research organization, AgResearch, and Massey University have opened a new research center aimed at improving the health and welfare of livestock. The organizations describe the new center as signaling a "new era" in animal health research in New Zealand.

The NZ$17m ($12.7m) Hopkirk Research Institute opened last month, and offers nearly 4,000 square meters of laboratory space, sufficient for 90-100 scientific staff, says AgResearch.


The institute will look for new ways of treating infectious diseases endemic to New Zealand that threaten the livelihood of the pastoral sector. It will initially focus on three main areas: finding solutions for the control of parasitic diseases, primarily in sheep and cattle; developing more effective vaccines to combat tuberculosis and Johne's disease; and identifying new food poisoning threats, and devising ways of minimizing their prevalence and impact.

AgResearch chief executive Dr Andrew West said: "Through the creation of the Hopkirk Research Institute, AgResearch and Massey University now have a team of animal health researchers and developers of global scale and influence.

"Healthy livestock are essential to the prosperity of New Zealanders. We don't have BSE, Scrapie or Foot and Mouth in New Zealand, which is to our huge advantage, but we do have other diseases and parasites that we must defeat."

Comments? Email: max.thomas@informa.com

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