University researchers secures funding award to develop vaccine for common pig disease

The University of Plymouth is part of a group that has been awarded £1m to develop a vaccine that could halt the development and spread of one of the more common diseases affecting the UK pig population.

It is working with The Vaccine Group and the University of Cambridge to research a bacterial infection, streptococcus suis, that can be fatal in pigs. The disease can also be transferred to humans working with them, causing meningitis, septicaemia and other symptoms.

It has been shown to affect more than 60% of pig farms in a number of countries across Europe, posing challenges for both the pork industry and public health.

The research is being supported by a grant of £1m from Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme, delivered by Innovate UK.

It will build on previous research by The Vaccine Group and the University of Plymouth, through which the potential candidate for the Streptococcus suis vaccine was identified.

Dr Jeremy Salt, chief executive at The Vaccine Group, said: “For pig farmers across the UK, Streptococcus suis is a major cause for concern and can lead to significant losses – both in terms of animals and financially.

“Our goal in developing an effective vaccine is stop the bacterial infection from developing in pigs and humans in the first place. By doing so, we can better protect the farmers, their animals and their livelihoods.”

There are currently no proven vaccines addressing the many strains of the disease, with infected pigs being treated using a number of different antibiotics.

However, the UK Government is targeting a 50% reduction in antibiotic use in livestock by 2030, increasing the urgency to find an effective vaccine.

The project will assess whether a vaccine candidate already shown to be effective against the most common strain of the disease can in fact protect pigs – and thereby prevent transmission to humans – against multiple, if not all, known strains.