Diagnosis

Non-Vesicular Disease Reference Laboratory Group

The Non-Vesicular Disease Reference Laboratory Group brings together all the reference laboratories working on non-vesicular diseases at IAH Pirbright. These diseases include bluetongue, African horse sickness, African swine fever, morbillivirues (rinderpest and peste des petits ruminants), and capripox viruses (lumpy skin disease and sheep and goat pox). These Reference Laboratories provide an essential diagnostic and advice service to the UK Government, and to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, European Union and the World Organisation for Animal Health.

The group also carries out applied research related to the development of new diagnostic assays. The group is integrated within the Arbovirology Programme and works very closely with the Arbovirology Research Group headed by Peter Mertens and the Entomology Group headed by Philip Mellor.

The Group was instrumental in diagnosing, in 2006, the first ever incursion of BTV into northern Europe, and the first outbreak in England, in September 2007.

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