Disease control tools to secure animal, public health in a densely populated world
Animal health is a prerequisite for global health, economic development, food security, food quality, and poverty reduction, while mitigating against climate change and biodiversity loss.
In a review published Oct. 1 in The Lancet Planetary Health, the authors propose and discuss five research priorities for animal health that will help to deliver a sustainable and healthy planet: vaccinology, antimicrobial resistance, climate mitigation and adaptation, digital health and epidemic preparedness.
Researchers conducted a qualitative review of 53 infectious diseases in terrestrial animals with data from DISCONTOOLS, a specialist database and prioritization model focusing on research gaps for improving infectious disease control in animals. Many diseases do not have any appropriate control tools, but the prioritization model suggests that we should focus international efforts on Nipah virus infection, African swine fever, contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, Peste des petits ruminants virus, sheep pox and goat pox, avian influenza, Rift Valley fever, foot and mouth disease, and bovine tuberculosis, for the greatest impact on the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals.
Easy to use and accurate diagnostics are available for numerous animal diseases. However, there is an urgent need for the development of stable and durable diagnostics that can differentiate infected animals from vaccinated animals, to exploit rapid technological advances, and to make diagnostics widely available and affordable.
Veterinary vaccines are important for dealing with endemic, new and emerging diseases. However, fundamental research is needed to improve the convenience of use and duration of immunity, and to establish performant marker vaccines.
The largest gap in animal pharmaceuticals is the threat of pathogens developing resistance to available drugs for bacterial and parasitic — protozoal, helminth, and arthropod — pathogens.
Johannes Charlier et al. “Disease control tools to secure animal and public health in a densely populated world.” The Lancet Planetary Health. Vol. 6 (10), E812-E824, October 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00147-4.
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