ParaTBTools - Timelier testing for a costly cattle disease

ParaTBTools - Timelier testing for a costly cattle disease

ParaTBTools
Timelier testing for
a costly cattle disease
Specific Targeted Research Project
Background/description of problem
Paratuberculosis, a chronic wasting disease of ruminants,
causes significant losses to European producers,
particularly dairy farmers. Caused by Mycobacterium
paratuberculosis (Mptb), paratuberculosis leads to
decreased milk yield, loss of body weight and death
of the animal. Current diagnostic tools are expensive
and inadequate – a positive test means that the
● Canada
detected animal has already been infecting other
● United States
animals for a prolonged period. The greatest
concern of European consumers, however, is that
Mptb has been detected in retail milk and is
possibly linked to Crohn’s disease in humans.
NO
●
DK
UK NL●
● DE
IE BE ● ● ●
CZ
●
FR
●
ES
● ●
●
Argentina
New Zealand ●
Project profile
ParaTBTools aims to develop and to standardise new tools
for controlling paratuberculosis in livestock, and detect Mptb
in faeces, milk, blood and tissues, including in humans. The project
has recruited a multidisciplinary consortium of 28 partners from 14 countries,
with expertise in mycobacteriology, immunology, molecular biology, genetics, epidemiology,
risk-assessment, inflammatory bowel disease and food safety.
International aspects
Paratuberculosis is a global problem. Annual losses to US farmers are estimated
at $US1.5 billion (€1.2 billion approx). The project includes four non-EU partners
with important complementary expertise in the field, including one from the
United States.
Socio-economic significance
ParaTBTools will have the following long-term socio-economic impact:
• Paratuberculosis control is important for food safety, animal husbandry and animal welfare
• Will produce a framework to determine economically optimal strategies for paratuberculosis control.
ParaTBTools
ParaTBTools
Specific Targeted Research Project
Basic project information
Full project title: Development of improved tools for detection of paratuberculosis in livestock,
M. paratuberculosis in food and for the assessment of the risk of human exposure
Duration: 36 months
Starting year: 2005
EU funding: €3.94 million
FP6 instrument used: Specific Targeted Research or Innovation Project
Project coordinator:
Douwe Bakker
Division of Bacteriology and TSEs, Central Institute for Animal Disease Control, Lelystad
The Netherlands
[email protected]
Third country partner(s) involved:
University of Otago (New Zealand)
McGill University (Canada)
Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (Argentina)
Michigan State University (United States)
Project website: To follow
EC scientific officer: Isabel Minguez, [email protected]
© European Communities, 2006 - Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged
Scientific significance
The project will contribute to the following scientific areas:
• Novel antigens and optimised diagnostic tools
• Investigate Mptb's possible role in Crohn’s disease pathogenesis
• Better statistical data and scientific knowledge about paratuberculosis,
particularly in Europe.
Project outcomes
• Agreement by a large consortium on standardized tools to be used for the control
of paratuberculosis
• Improved processing and manufacturing parameters for milk and dairy products
to improve inactivation of Mptb
• Risk assessment of human exposure to Mptb via the food chain
• An informative website aimed at consumers, producers, policy-makers and
researchers.
ParaTBTools