A5020699648- Helminth infection and control
- Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology
- Parasite Biology and Host Interactions
- Salmonella and Campylobacter epidemiology
- Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology
- Animal Nutrition and Physiology
- Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
- Vector-Borne Animal Diseases
- Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
- Parasites and Host Interactions
- Escherichia coli research studies
- Ruminant Nutrition and Digestive Physiology
- Listeria monocytogenes in Food Safety
- Milk Quality and Mastitis in Dairy Cows
- Microbial infections and disease research
- Coccidia and coccidiosis research
- Veterinary Equine Medical Research
- Nematode management and characterization studies
- Antibiotic Use and Resistance
- Parasitic Infections and Diagnostics
- Bacterial Identification and Susceptibility Testing
- Meat and Animal Product Quality
- Veterinary Practice and Education Studies
- Probiotics and Fermented Foods
- Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland
2016-2025
The King's College
2025
University of Liverpool
2024
Scottish Government
2021
University of Edinburgh
2010-2014
University of Glasgow
2003-2012
Glasgow Centre for Population Health
2010
Google (United States)
2007
InnoCentive (United States)
2007
University of Strathclyde
1997-2004
A subjective cow cleanliness scoring system was validated and used to assess the score of dairy cows at different times in year. longitudinal study followed a number farms from summer winter, larger, cross-sectional assessed greater during housed winter period. The demonstrated be both repeatable practical technique use on-farm showed that become dirtier transition grazing housing. Although farming (organic or conventional) had no effect on when were grass, organic significantly more likely...
Waterborne transmission of Toxoplasma gondii is a potential public health risk and there are currently no agreed optimised methods for the recovery, processing detection T. oocysts in water samples. In this study modified oocyst recovery DNA extraction were applied to 1427 samples collected from 147 supplies throughout Scotland. was detected, using real time PCR (qPCR) targeting 529bp repeat element, 8.79% interpretable (124 out 1411 samples). The which positive originated third sampled...
Gastro-intestinal nematode infections are considered one of the major endemic diseases sheep on grounds animal health and economic burden, both in British Isles globally. Parasites increasingly developing resistance to commonly used anthelmintic treatments meaning that alternative control strategies reduce or replace use anthelmintics required. We present GI-NemaTracker, a systems-level mathematical model full host-parasite-environment system governing gastro-intestinal transmission farm....
Gastro-intestinal nematode infections are considered one of the major endemic diseases sheep on grounds animal health and economic burden, both in British Isles globally. Parasites increasingly developing resistance to commonly used anthelmintic treatments meaning that alternative control strategies reduce or replace use anthelmintics required. We present GI-NemaTracker, a systems-level mathematical model full host-parasite-environment system governing gastro-intestinal transmission farm....
During a 12-month longitudinal study, bulk-tank milk was collected from organic ( n =17) and conventional =19) dairy farms in the UK. Milk samples were analysed for vitamin A (retinol), E (α-tocopherol) β-carotene content. The farming system type, herd production level nutritional factors affecting fat content investigated by use of mixed model analyses. Conventionally produced had higher mean than organically fat, although there no significant differences or contents between two types fat....
Human campylobacteriosis exhibits a distinctive seasonality in temperate regions. This paper aims to identify the origins of this seasonality. Clinical isolates [typed by multi-locus sequence typing (MLST)] and epidemiological data were collected from Scotland. Young rural children found have an increased burden disease late spring due strains non-chicken origin (e.g. ruminant wild bird environmental sources). In contrast adult population had extended summer peak associated with chicken...
Two ruminant acute phase proteins (APPs), haptoglobin (Hp) and serum amyloid A (SAA), were evaluated as biomarkers (BMs) for sheep scab–a highly contagious ectoparasitic disease caused by the mite Psoroptes ovis, which is a major welfare production threat worldwide. The levels of both APPs increased in following experimental infestation with P. becoming statistically significantly elevated from pre-infestation at 4 weeks post-infestation. Following successful treatment infested an...
Benzimidazoles (BZ) have been the anthelmintic of choice for controlling Nematodirus battus infections since their release in 1950s. Despite heavy reliance on this single drug class, resistance was not identified nematode until 2010 (Mitchell et al., 2011). The study aimed to explore prevalence BZ-resistance mutations N. from UK sheep flocks using deep amplicon sequencing and pyrosequencing platforms. Based evidence other gastrointestinal nematodes, is likely be conferred by nucleotide...
The number of Teladorsagia circumcincta 4th-stage larvae in naturally infected lambs from a single farm varied among and different years. Within each year the distribution was similar to that expected negative binomial distribution. ratio adult T. low two years with mean intensity infection but high higher infection. is defined by k , parameter measures dispersion; when high. As an inverse index overdispersion this indicated more overdispersed at levels In combined analysis, plasma IgA...
The spatial and temporal epidemiology of human cryptosporidiosis was described by analysing sporadic cases reported in Scotland from 2005 to 2007. Measures livestock density population were explored as indicators the geographical variation prevalence. Cryptosporidium parvum more common areas with lower densities, a higher ratio number farms inhabitants private water supplies inhabitants. caused disease humans rural high ruminant density, whereas hominis densely populated Scotland....
Sheep scab is a highly contagious disease of sheep caused by the ectoparasitic mite Psoroptes ovis. The endemic in UK and has significant economic impact through its effects on performance welfare. Diagnosis achieved observation clinical signs e.g. itching, pruritis wool loss ultimately detection mites skin scrapings. Early stages infestation are often difficult to diagnose sub-clinical animals can be major factor spread. development diagnostic assay would enable farmers veterinarians detect...
In Scotland, between 1995 and 2000 there were 4 10 cases of illness per 100000 population year identified as being caused by Escherichia coli O157, whereas in England Wales 1 2 year. Within Scotland is significant regional variation. A cluster high rate areas was the Northeast a low central-west Scotland. Temporal trends follow seasonal pattern whilst spatial effects appeared to be distant rather than local. The best-fit model trend with case increasing from West East, South North. No...
SUMMARY Understanding the frequency distribution of parasites and parasite stages among hosts is essential for efficient experimental design statistical analysis, also required development sustainable methods controlling infection. Nematodirus battus one most important organisms that infect sheep but unknown. An initial analysis indicated a high animals without N. with zero egg counts, suggesting possibility zero-inflated distribution. We developed Bayesian using Markov chain Monte Carlo to...
Campylobacteriosis is the leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis in most developed countries. People are exposed to infection from contaminated food and environmental sources. However, translation these exposures into human population remains incompletely understood. This relationship further complicated by differences presentation cases, their investigation, identification, reporting; thus, actual risk must be considered alongside artefactual differences. Data on 33,967 confirmed...
Genetic typing data are a potentially powerful resource for determining how infection is acquired. In this paper MLST was used to distinguish the routes and risks of humans with Campylobacter jejuni from poultry ruminant sources C. samples animal environmental reported human cases confirmed between June 2005 September 2006 were typed using MLST. The STRUCTURE software assign specific sequence types sporadic particular source. We then mixed case-case logistic regression analysis compare risk...
Optimisation and use of a device for the on-hen in vivo feeding all hematophagous stages Dermanyssus gallinae is described. The sealed mesh contains mites applied to skin hen's thigh where can feed on bird through which has apertures large enough allow mites' mouth-parts access but small contain mites. By optimising depth width aperture size we have produced will lead both reduction refinement animals research, allowing pre-screening new vaccines systemic acaricides/insecticides been...