Strategies to control bovine tuberculosis in wild reservoirs (badgers and wild boars) and in domestic reservoirs (sheep)
- Financing: INIA RTA2014-00002-C02-02. Coordinated project, participants: NEIKER and SERIDA
- Principal researcher: Dr. Marta Barral (NEIKER)
- Implementation: 2016-2018
Objective:
The overall objective of this project is to establish strategies for the control of bovine TB in the north of Spain in communities classified as having a low prevalence of TB (<1%) according to RASVE (2014), but that present local veterinary units in which the disease has a prevalence of more than 4%. In general terms, the intention of the project is to describe the risks of transmission of TB among cattle, sheep and wild species, primarily badger and wild boar, that have yet to be studied in Atlantic environments, applying it to the development of protocols designed to mitigate the risk of the disease being transmitted in the north of Spain.
Specific objectives:
1. A study of the interaction between wildlife and domestic species in the environment of TB-positive cattle holdings. A comparative epidemiological study of isolated strains of Mycobacterium bovis and the determination of to what extent badgers and wild boar are involved in perpetuating the infection.
2. An evaluation of the safety and efficacy of anti-tuberculosis vaccines in badgers.