Organization

THEMATIC AREA 1. Management. TA leader: A. Aranaz (UCM) Work Package 0. Management, dissemination and web-page.

WP leader: A. Aranaz (UCM)

Objectives:

• Overall management of the Consortium
• Dissemination of the TB-STEP activities to the Consortium, Scientific Community and to general audience

THEMATIC AREA 2. Control of mycobacterial diseases through vaccination. TA leader: G. Hewinson (DEFRA)

Work Package 1. Vaccination of domestic animals (cattle and goats): Assessment of protective efficacy in cattle of a heterologous prime-boost strategy based on BCG and a recombinant adenovirus expressing a fusion protein of protective antigens, and to assess the suitability of novel diagnostic reagents to distinguish vaccinated from infected animals (DIVA principle).

WP leader: G. Hewinson (DEFRA)

Objectives:

• To generate a novel recombinant adenovirus vector expressing three protective M. bovis antigens
• To test its immunogenicity and ability to improve the efficacy of BCG in cattle using an heterologous prime-boost protocol
• To demonstrate that DIVA reagents developed in VLA to distinguish BCG vaccination from M. bovis infection can also be applied to this prime-boost scenario
• To determine safety and efficacy of M. bovis vaccine in natural and experimental infected goats by laboratory and field studies
• To assess the safety and efficacy of live and inactivated M. bovis (BCG) vaccines in experimentally infected goats
• To assess the safety and efficacy of live and inactivated M. bovis (BCG) vaccines in goat farms in a field study (depending on results obtained in former objective)

Work Package 2. Evaluation of vaccines for use in wildlife populations in the European Union.

WP leader: E. Gormley (NUiD-UCD)

Objectives:

• To evaluate the different strategies for vaccination of wildlife against M. bovis
• To compile the results obtained with different vaccines and animal species to make recommendations to the Scientific Community
• To determine the efficacy of oral vaccination in captive badgers
• To develop a reliable bait delivery system for oral vaccination of badgers against tuberculosis
• To recommend adaptations of oral vaccine for other wildlife species
• To develop an experimental infection model in ferrets to evaluate protein sub-unit vaccines
• To investigate the delivery of efficacious vaccines, in a manner suitable for use in a wild population
• To evaluate the immune response in wild boar after oral vaccination
• To study the safety of vaccination of wild boar for environment and the consumers
• To disclose the effect of experimental atypical exposure on the level of protection of BCG vaccination

THEMATIC AREA 3. Improved diagnostic tools. TA leader: P. Willemsen (CVI)

Work Package 3. Development of new glycolipid antigens of M. bovis.

WP leader: P. Willemsem (CVI-Lelystad).

Objective:

• Isolation and characterization of antigenic M. bovis glycolipids as antigens for immunological diagnostic tests and/or vaccine candidates for bovine tuberculosis

Work Package 4. Improvement of immunology-based diagnosis in wildlife and livestock.

WP leader: L. Domínguez (UCM).

WP4a. Development of a tuberculosis antibody detection assay.

WP leader: P. Rueda (Ingenasa)

Objectives:

• To develop an affordable serological test for use in wild animals
• To evaluation of its sensitivity and specificity
• To clone and express specific and sensitive tuberculosis antigen
• To develop, identify and characterise monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specific of tuberculosis selected antigen

WP4b. Sensitivity and specificity of the antigens for the IFN-? test.

WP leader: L. Domínguez (UCM).

Objectives:

• To evaluate the performance of the new antigens regarding specificity and sensitivity in livestock
• To increase the test specificity and study the effect of other mycobacteria in the performance of the immunological tests
• To assess the effect of the paratuberculosis infection in the diagnosis of tuberculosis
• To improve the practical use of the interferon-gamma test

THEMATIC AREA 4. Wildlife management. TA leader: C. Gortázar (UCLM)

Work Package 5. Control of populations.

WP leader: C. Gortázar (UCLM).

Objectives:

• To develop new management tools to identify wildlife overabundance and to monitor the effect of management changes on both population and disease indicators
• To design adequate risk-control measures for each particular situation
• To perform risk factor analysis of current wildlife management practices in Mediterranean habitats, including specifically the risks associated to carrion consumption
• To analysis the ecology of wildlife feeding and watering in Mediterranean ecosystems, and the possibilities of reducing the associated disease transmission risks
• To develop and characterize oral bait delivery methods to European wild boar and Iberian red deer under Mediterranean field conditions

THEMATIC AREA 5. Epidemiology and risk assessment. TA leader: M. Hutchings (SAC)

Work Package 6. Molecular typing of Mycobacterium bovis and M. caprae isolates: focused epidemiological investigation.

WP leader: A. Aranaz (UCM).

Objectives:

• To determine the relative contribution of each factor in the transmission of infection
• To determine the effect of agricultural system and farm management practices on the infection in domestic livestock
• To evaluate the real role of wildlife as reservoirs of the infection
• To study the role of other domestic animals in the maintenance of the infection
• To evaluate the recommended methods for molecular typing
• To compare performance of Variable Number Tandem Repeat (VNTR) - mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units (MIRUs) with the new spacers for DVR-spoligotyping for M. bovis typing
• To study the epidemiology of M. caprae

Work Package 7. TB risk and control in EU systems.

WP leader: M. Hutchings (SAC)

Objectives:

• To quantify the role of badger vaccination in integrated tuberculosis eradication strategies
• To provide an EU perspective on the role of wildlife in the persistence of tuberculosis in problem areas and develop best practice tuberculosis control strategies for problem areas
• To quantify the effects of farming system on livestock exposure to tuberculosis from wildlife in the EU to inform strategies to limit wildlife-livestock contact