This project aims to establish an immunome for the Eurasian badger (Meles meles) and to identify immune profiles that are associated with protective immunity to Mycobacterium bovis (the causative agent of Bovine tuberculosis, bTB).

This study builds on a well-studied population of badgers as part of the ongoing Test and Vaccinate or Remove (TVR) intervention study commissioned and run by DARD with the Agrifoods and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) in Northern Ireland (TVR study). Two analytical approaches will be explored:

- Identification of immune genes associated with protective immunity

- Gene transcript markers of exposure to bTB

First published: 1 February 2016

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