What were the main topics discussed? The following are the key takeaways from the conference that the community should be aware of: • The creation of the Africa Chapter of GFRA occurred with this gathering. • New surveillance tools such as MinION, an innovative pen-side sampling tool which allows next-generation sequencing from field swabs. • There is a call for an African focus in terms of research, surveillance, and control of FMD. •GALVMed updated the community on the AgResults FMD Challenge Project, which aims to facilitate access to high-quality vaccines in East Africa. • Dr. David Paton emphasized the importance of following correct vaccine schedules and increasing the quality of locally made vaccines. • Many epidemiology studies were presented, including: • Uganda: on average, 33 declared outbreaks per year decrease livestock sales by 63%. • Nigeria: sheep were found to play a role in FMD maintenance in Northern Nigeria. • Tanzania: serological studies show frequent buffalo to cattle infection and circulation of O strains in buffalo. • Immunogenicity studies performed in the field using locally manufactured vaccines showed great differences in quality between the products. For example: • Zambia: a field trial showed that the BVI vaccine elicits a high antibody titer lasting 6 months after two shots. • Uganda: a field trial showed great batch-to-batch variability on one (local) out of previously 2 vaccines used. • Ethiopia: a local vaccine showed 39% effectiveness in the field. After participating in the session on FMD research in Africa, what can you tell us about the current regional situation? The first session of the conference was dedicated to FMD research in Africa. The session included an assessment of FMD vaccines in Uganda and heterologous protection against SAT1 strains in goats. The rise of SAT1 FMDV in East Africa could pose a potential threat in the Middle East, which imports livestock from the region. Additionally, SAT strains-specific peptide phage display libraries for epitope identification were presented, along with research on transmission dynamics and vaccine effectiveness in controlling endemic FMD in Ethiopia.
During the conference, Dr Donald King gave a keynote speech on the global FMD situation based on WRL surveillance methods. When/where is the next GFRA meeting and how can one attend? For now, there is no confirmation on the exact date or venue of the next GFRA meeting, however there are hopes that it will be hosted on the African continent for a second year. To join the meeting and stay informed I would recommend becoming a GFRA member through their website (Global Foot-and- Mouth (FMD) Research Alliance (GFRA) (usda.gov)).
For more information on the event visit: https://www.ars.usda.gov/GFRA/events.htm
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