Objectives
Research into endemic, epizootic and zoonotic infectious diseases of farm animals and fish aims to identify
the cause of diseases; to determine the distribution of the causal disease microorganism within the
host; to determine how causal microorganisms kill or damage host cells (pathogenesis); to determine
the epidemiology of causal microorganisms (how they spread, predisposing factors, geographical distribution,
etc.); to develop improved disease diagnostic methods and disease control/preventative measures. Research
on animal diseases of human significance aims to improve diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis by developing
alternative or supplementary tests and identifying more specific test antigens; to devise methods to
distinguish between strains of M. bovis, as a pre-requisite to defining more clearly the epidemiology
of bovine tuberculosis, particularly the role of the badger and disease spread through the cattle population.
Research on animal welfare aims to obtain an understanding of good welfare in relation to animal behaviour
and physiology; to develop reliable methods of measuring animal welfare; to employ an understanding
of animal welfare to design systems of animal housing that are welfare friendly, produce quality products
and are economically viable.
Sub-programmes
