Scientists at the Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh have made a breakthrough which they say could revolutionise efforts to combat bovine tuberculosis in the UK.

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BTB is estimated to have cost the UK economy £90 million in 2010 and is on the rise in England. However, scientists who took part in research funded as part of an £11.5 million initiative by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) with some funding from the Scottish Government and Defra, have said that farmers may now be able to select cattle with a level of resistance to bTB.

The scientists have been working for four years to combat several harmful diseases endemic in farm animal populations in the UK. Many scientists are already working with industrial partners to implement their findings as quickly as possible.

Breeding resistance to bTB into cattle

Professor Liz Glass of The Roslin Institute led the work on bTB resistance; her team, working with colleagues from Queen’s University Belfast, found that some degree of resistance to Bovine TB is inherited. The team also identified genetic markers associated with resistance.

Professor Glass’ research involved over 1,000 Holstein Friesian cattle. Using a ‘control’ and ‘case’ group of cattle from comparable herds and of the same age, she discovered that the cows’ genetic information showed animals with certain genetic markers were more than twice as likely to develop bTB.

The results mean that it might be possible to selectively breed cows which are more resistant to the disease. The group is now working with an industrial partner, DairyCo, to explore the possibility of implementing selection for increased resistance in commercial dairy cattle.

DairyCo said it is using some of the quantitative data from Glass’ study to investigate introducing TB resistance to the existing breeding indexes. Professor Glass acknowledged that the research is not a complete solution to bovine TB, but said the breakthrough represents "a step along the way."