Improving Poultry

Improving Poultry

 

Scientific research is key to improving the poultry industry, from developing more efficient breeding to enhancing disease resistance and animal welfare.

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) funds research that is aimed at both understanding the fundamental biology of poultry and at addressing real-life issues for the poultry industry.

 Improving bird quality and welfare.
 In partnership with industry, scientists are embarking on a three year £1.65M project that will develop new genetic sequencing platforms to help poultry breeders develop breeds that use feed more efficiently. Even small efficiency gains could boost production and lead to huge energy and monetary savings in the long term because of the massive numbers of animals involved. Researchers have used genetic modification to develop chickens that cannot spread bird flu to other chickens.  Introducing this modification to poultry flocks could protect the health of the birds and so increase meat and egg production – as well as reducing the risk of a new flu outbreak in the human population. Researchers have developed an automated system of webcams to monitor welfare across an entire flock. Using statistical measures they are building up a picture of how a normal flock behaves. The systems allows rapid detection of when a flock starts to behave differently from this norm. The researchers have already carried out commercial trials with Cobb (Europe) and are looking to build a database of normal behaviour for birds of different ages, sexes and breeds.


Combating diseases

Marek’s disease, which globally costs US$2Bn, is a serious poultry disease despite the 20Bn vaccine doses used annually. Researchers are developing an increased understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind the disease, it is hoped that this will lead to better strategies for designing new vaccines. The most common form of food poisoning in the UK is caused by the bacterium Campylobacter and it is estimated that 65% of chicken carcasses carry an infection. In July 2010 BBSRC, together will Defra and the FSA, announced £2M of funding to tackle Campylobacter food poisoning. Infectious bronchitis virus costs the UK poultry industry around £20M every year, mainly due to loss of egg production. Work, now patented and licensed by a BBSRC PhD student on developing a vaccine, won Erica Bickerton the British Poultry Council 2010 Scholarship Award. New tools and technologies Scientists have developed new and advanced microscopy techniques that will allow them to understand why current avian influenza vaccines allow around a quarter of birds to still carry the disease, despite not falling ill. They hope these insights will allow them to engineer a new vaccine that more effectively eliminates the disease.
As a fertilised embryo develops different genes turn on and off to regulate the embryo as it grows into a chick. Scientist are creating a map of these changes in genes. This map will be openly shared on the internet allowing others to use it and develop a deeper understanding of development and so help understand health issues such as congenital abnormalities, cancers and tissue repair.
Web: www.bbsrc.ac.uk

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

AusBiotech tells Agricultural Innovation Inquiry greater investment is needed

AusBiotech tells Agricultural Innovation Inquiry greater investment is needed 1 October 2015: AusBiotech's submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Agriculture and Industry's Inquiry into Agricultural Innovation calls for greater investment. The submission welcomes the government’s recognition of the importance of primary producer access to advanced technologies such as plant and animal genetics to increase farming productivity and said: "One of the key drivers of long-term productivity growth implicit in the terms of reference for this review is the development and adoption of new production technologies (innovation)." AusBiotech has made a number of recommendations based on feedback from members, most of which hinge upon increased investment in the sector in order to at least maintain a competitive position amongst international counterparts. All contributors to this submission, including the large mul...
Read more

WHAT YOU HAVE TO KNOW ABOUT...''POLLUTION AND CONTROL''

Image
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change.[1] Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light. Pollutants, the components of pollution, can be either foreign substances/energies or naturally occurring contaminants. Pollution is often classed as point source or non point source pollution. 1 Ancient cultures Air pollution has always accompanied civilizations. Pollution started from prehistoric times when man created the first fires. According to a 1983 article in the journal Science, "soot found on ceilings of prehistoric caves provides ample evidence of the high levels of pollution that was associated with inadequate ventilation of open fires.” Metal forging appears to be a key turning point in the creation of significant air pollution levels outside the home. Core samples of glaciersin Greenland indicate increases in pollution associated with Greek, Roman and Chinese metal pr...
Read more

Mosquito-born zica virus Has Been Confirmed By Brazilian Health Authorities To Cause Fatal Brain-damage.

Image
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - A link between a form of fetal brain damage and the mosquito-born zica virus has been confirmed by Brazilian health authorities on Saturday. The link between zica, first medically identified as a new disease half a century ago, and birth defects has never been made.  The virus, endemic in parts Africa, South America, Southeast Asia and some Pacific Islands, has until now been blamed for symptoms such as fever, mild headache, skin rashes, joint pain and conjunctivitis, or "red eye." Initial analysis shows that the virus can be passed to a fetus and that the fetus is at greatest risk from the virus during the first three months of pregnancy, the statements said. More tests and studies are needed to clarify the exact method of transmission and infection, the statement added. A surge in recent months of babies born with microcephaly, or an unnaturally small brain, in Brazil's northeast, led authorities to suspect t...
Read more