A strategic new liaison between two of Scotland's leading animal health organisations is to tackle novel control methods for major infections of livestock caused by parasitic, viral and bacterial pathogens.

• Gut worms of sheep are becoming resistant to drugs used to control them and molecular methods are being deployed to identify those worms carrying resistance genes. Vaccines offer an alternative approach.
• Sheep (like Dolly) suffer from lung disease caused by retroviruses and diagnostic tools are required to identify them and help understand how the disease occurs;
• A new tool - "proteomics", a contemporary technological approach to understanding the biology of organisms - is being used to characterise bacterial and host factors intimately involved in important infections, such as E. coli and Salmonella, affecting livestock and human populations.

Now the teams of scientists at the Moredun Research Institute and the University of Glasgow's Vet School are to combine forces to address these threats.

The partnership brings together two leading organisations with a world-class reputation in animal health and welfare.

Said Professor Julie Fitzpatrick, Scientific Director of Moredun Research Institute "Glasgow and Moredun have a long track record of co-operation and collaboration and the memorandum of understanding takes our relationship to a new level. The exchange of scientists and sharing of complementary equipment and facilities will improve our understanding of how to control the livestock diseases that affect our agricultural and rural economies, where sustainable animal production is of critical importance"

Professor Stuart Reid, Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Glasgow added "We have a proud heritage of working with Moredun with many of the previous directors of MRI having graduated or worked at Glasgow. We have built on this recently with joint Chair appointments which brings together key research ideas from two important sectors. It is clear that the initiatives within SEERAD and the Scottish Funding Council are particularly focused on this pooling and creation of critical mass. With SEERAD focused on a health and welfare strategy that will support the farming community, veterinary research and the provision of vets for the field and laboratory is central to success."

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First published: 13 February 2006