Combined use of novel diagnostic tools and strategic vaccination to control bovine brucellosis in endemic areas

布鲁氏菌病是一种动物传染病，也会影响人类（一种人畜共患病）。它是世界上最常见的人畜共患病之一，由于人类患病和牲畜生产力受损，它给生计造成巨大负担，因为受感染的动物可能出现不育、流产和产奶量低的情况。然而，布鲁氏菌病很少得到卫生系统的重视，因此世界卫生组织（世卫组织）将其列为其七种被忽视的地方性人畜共患病之一。尽管英国没有布鲁氏菌病，但仍需要不断努力，以确保牛羊不患这种疾病，并在疾病传入时能够尽快发现它。在英国，每年为此目的进行的测试超过100万次。在印度，布鲁氏菌病是地方性疾病，最近的报告表明其发病率可能正在增加。在这个项目中，英国和印度的科学家将在牛和水牛中流行布鲁氏菌病的一个地区（旁遮普省）合作。通过应用一系列诊断和疫苗，反刍动物布鲁氏菌病的控制在若干环境中取得了不同程度的成功。该研究小组先前开展的工作表明，在资源有限且无法完全避免受感染和未受感染畜群之间的动物流动的情况下，基于对某些动物群体进行有针对性的战略性疫苗接种的控制规划可能是一种成本效益高的方法，可显著降低流行地区的流行。然而，尽管疫苗在长期保护动物免受感染和减少疾病流行方面是有效的，但使用疫苗接种的一个重要问题是无法用传统的诊断测试区分真正感染的动物和接种疫苗的动物。在这个项目中，我们的目标是对旁遮普省牛和人的布鲁氏菌病流行病学进行详细研究，包括使用能够区分接种疫苗和受感染动物的新型诊断测试。我们将使用这些结果来创建计算机模型，我们可以使用这些模型来模拟包含这些测试的控制策略的效果。该项目亦会研究感染的经济影响，以便我们向兽医和公共卫生服务部门提出切合实际的控制策略，真正使本地牲畜饲养者和整个人口受益。我们将在对受感染动物进行实验室检测方面吸取的经验教训，最终可能有利于那些没有这种疾病的国家，如英国，但必须花费大量资源进行动物检测，以确保它们不受感染。

Brucellosis is an infectious disease of animals that also affects people (a zoonosis). It is one of the most common zoonoses worldwide and it imposes a vast burden on livelihoods as a result of human disease and impaired livestock productivity as infected animals can experience infertility, abortions and low milk yield. However, brucellosis is rarely prioritized by health systems and as a result the World Health Organization (WHO) includes it as one of its seven neglected endemic zoonoses. Although Great Britain is free from Brucellosis a constant effort is needed to ensure that cattle and sheep remain free from the disease and to be able to detect it as soon as possible in the event of its introduction. More than a million tests per year are conducted for that purpose in GB. In India brucellosis is endemic and recent reports suggest its incidence may be increasing. In this project UK-based and India-based scientists will work together in an area (Punjab) where Brucellosis is endemic among cattle and buffalo. Control of ruminant brucellosis has been achieved with different degrees of success in several settings by applying a range of diagnostic and vaccines. Previous work carried out by the research team suggests that control programs based on targeted, strategic vaccination of some groups of animals may be a cost-effective way of significantly reducing the prevalence in endemic areas wen resources are limited and animal movement between infected and non-infected herds cannot be fully avoided. However, although vaccines are effective at protecting animals from infection and reducing the prevalence of disease in the long term, an important problem of the use of vaccination is the inability to differentiate between truly infected and vaccinated animals with conventional diagnostic tests. In this project our aim is to carry out a detailed study of the epidemiology of brucellosis in bovines and humans in Punjab, including the use of novel diagnostic tests that can differentiate between vaccinated and infected animals. We will use the results to create computer models that we could use to simulate the effect of a control strategy that incorporates the use of these tests. The project will also study the economic impact of the infection, so that we can propose to the veterinary and public health services a control strategy that is realistic and truly benefits local livestock keepers and the population as a whole. The lessons that we will learn with regard to the laboratory testing of infected animals may eventually benefit countries that are free from the disease, such as GB, but have to spend considerable resources in testing animals to ensure that they remain free from infection.