APHA Weybridge are running some open days for science students from local colleges during British Science Week and will be engaging in more STEM events and careers fairs through 2024.
At the Animal and Plant Health Agency, we have a vibrant STEM programme and over 40 STEM Ambassadors who regularly engage with young people around the UK. In this blog, we hear from APHA STEM ambassadors, Nichola Stamper, Estella Gonzalez-Fernandez and Amy Parkes-Withers, on why inspiring the next generation of scientists is so rewarding and what it means to them.
I became a STEM ambassador in May 2023 and my first opportunity to engage came about when I was approached by Myerscough College for a tour of APHA’s Regional Laboratory in Penrith. I hosted a group of Level 2 General Farm Worker Apprenticeship students to tell them more about APHA and our work at Penrith Veterinary Investigation Centre. The students were extremely interested, asking lots of questions, and learned about job roles in our lab.
More recently, I offered my support to a local secondary school, Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Penrith, by taking part in a Year 11 mock interview day. I am involved with recruitment in my main job as Laboratory Manager of Penrith Regional Lab, so was very keen to help students to develop their interview skills and promote APHA as a future employer. It was a bit daunting walking into the school’s main hall, with lots of small desks in rows – I had a flash back to my own exam days! I really enjoyed the day: I was so impressed with all the students I interviewed, and they were confident and open to feedback. The experience was very rewarding, and I hope I have helped the students to develop key skills which will aid them in future careers.
I am only eight months into my STEM ambassador journey but can honestly say it has been so fulfilling, I love seeing people, especially children, engaged with science. I look forward to developing my skills and continuing to promote STEM and APHA.
After participating in various events as a STEM Ambassador, including careers fairs, open days, and online activities, I finally decided to go ahead and volunteer for an in-person talk. This opportunity arose at Farnborough Sixth Form College during their Science Week in January.
My presentation focused on vector-borne diseases and the impact of global change in their transmission. I provided an overview of these diseases, highlighting the involvement of insects and other arthropods. We explored some examples illustrating the impact of climate change and global trade on the epidemiology of these diseases. I also talked about what we do at APHA to investigate and find answers so that we can understand the epidemiology of these diseases and the potential impact they could have in the UK, so we are better prepared to safeguard UK biosecurity.
Initially nervous about whether I could captivate a teenage audience, I was pleasantly surprised by their keen interest in the subject. The question-and-answer session following the presentation was particularly engaging.
Overall, the experience was very rewarding. I aspire to inspire students to explore this field further and consider pursuing careers in science. Moreover, it encouraged my confidence and provided valuable insights for improving future presentations. I look forward to applying this experience in future talks.
When I started my current role as a Quantitative Ecologist in the Wildlife team at APHA, I was excited to see the STEM Ambassador programme was something I could continue to be involved in as I had enjoyed my previous experience with the scheme.
I recently did my first event in a local secondary school, taking part in a speed networking morning. For this activity, all volunteers, colleges, and employers were placed on a desk in a classroom and pupils came around in small groups to ask us questions. All groups of pupils visited each desk for five minutes, and there were a lot of different questions they wanted answers to in that short amount of time.
Being able to speak to the pupils in small groups meant almost every student asked a question. Many students were very interested in science roles, and made notes when I mentioned opportunities to learn more about the work we do at APHA, such as by looking on the APHA Science Blog.
With my first event as an APHA STEM Ambassador completed, I am now really looking forward to developing my skills further by signing up to future events, and hopefully inspiring more young people!
Please email events@apha.gov.uk if you would like to find out more about our STEM Ambassadors or to let us know of an event that we can consider attending in 2024.
Additionally, you may wish to read the following, previously published blogs, on some of the outreach and events we have been involved with:
You can find out more about British Science Week and how you or your educational setting can become involved by visiting the official website.
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When I started studying my veterinary degree, I always envisaged that I would return to Yorkshire to work in mixed practice (think James Herriot!). It was in my third year of university teaching that I became fascinated by zoonotic diseases (diseases that can be transmitted from animal to humans and/or from humans to animals) and the critical role that veterinarians can play in a One Health approach to control them.
One Health is an integrated, collaborative approach to optimising the health of humans, animals, and the environment, and involves transdisciplinary, multisectoral working across society. It was this interest that led me to undertake an MSc in One Health after graduation and subsequently join APHA as a veterinary inspector, before moving to the bacteriology team at APHA’s headquarters near Weybridge.
The team I sit in works as part of a multidisciplinary team focusing on the control of and research into Salmonella. Salmonella is a type of bacteria which can be found in animals, and human infection can cause gastrointestinal illness. I also work on a variety of other zoonotic pathogens such as, Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC), Corynebacterium ulcerans and Cryptosporidium, which forms the subject of this blog.
I thoroughly enjoy being able to apply my veterinary knowledge and skills to make a difference to animal and human health and welfare through working on zoonoses.
One of the most challenging, but interesting, parts of my job is working with colleagues during outbreaks of zoonotic diseases, when we adopt a One Health approach, working across agencies and disciplines to implement measures and actions to control the outbreak. Cryptosporidium outbreaks are a good example of APHA’s work on zoonotic disease outbreaks.
Cryptosporidium is a type of gastrointestinal parasite. On average over 4000 human cases of diagnosed Cryptosporidium illness (“cryptosporidiosis”) are reported in England and Wales annually, although case numbers may be greater as infections may go undiagnosed, for example if an individual does not seek medical attention. Cryptosporidiosis is most common in children aged between one to five years old. In people, it can cause a variety of symptoms, the most frequent of which is acute watery diarrhoea. People with weakened immune systems, such as those on some immunosuppressive drugs or with inherited conditions, untreated HIV/AIDS, or malnourished children, are at greater risk of serious illness.
There are many species of Cryptosporidium. Most human infections in the UK are caused by either C. hominis or C. parvum. C. hominis is typically transmitted from person to person. C. parvum is the most important species from a zoonotic perspective, as it lacks host specificity so can infect many animal species and humans. Infection is via the faecal-oral route, that is humans ingest the oocysts (the transmissible stage of Cryptosporidium shed in faeces from an infected person/animal) and become infected. Humans can become infected through a variety of routes such as via contaminated water or through direct contact (for example petting) or indirect contact (for example through contact with animal faeces) with infected animals.
Cryptosporidiosis is an important disease of animals too, especially for young ruminants where infection can cause outbreaks of diarrhoea. Infected animals may show no signs of disease and can shed high numbers of oocysts. These oocysts are directly infective, resistant to disinfection and can persist in the environment for long periods of time, especially in cool, moist conditions.
In England, laboratory identification of Cryptosporidium in humans must be notified to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) by the diagnostic laboratory. This means that the UKHSA has surveillance data to enable their scientists to monitor trends and investigate where there is an increase in cases, which at a local level may indicate an outbreak is occurring. During outbreak investigations, information is gathered from human cases on common exposures and risk factors, such as recent contact with animals or travel, which helps in identifying possible sources of infection. Similar processes are in place in the devolved nations.
APHA is requested by local Health Protection Teams to assist when a human Cryptosporidium outbreak is thought to be linked to animal contact.
A Cryptosporidium outbreak is usually identified by public health professionals following an increase in the number of human infections, exceeding the expected number of cases for the population and time period, or when cases have a common exposure such as a venue or food product, or when numerous individuals are infected with a genetically identical type of Cryptosporidium. Once a Cryptosporidium outbreak is identified, UKHSA convenes an Incident Management Team (IMT) that meets to discuss the outbreak, investigations required and control measures. The IMT consists of individuals from a range of disciplines and agencies such as Local Authorities, NHS, Food Standards Agency, Environment Agency, Health and Safety Executive and include communication specialists, epidemiologists, and microbiologists who each bring their own specific knowledge and skillset. APHA veterinarians attend to specifically advise where there are thought to be animal aspects to the outbreak.
If required, APHA will visit livestock premises linked to Cryptosporidium outbreaks. Specially trained APHA veterinarians visit the site and provide advice on measures to reduce the risk of transmission of Cryptosporidium and other zoonotic organisms and how to improve compliance with the code of practice for animal contact at visitor attractions, if applicable. These visits may be undertaken by Environmental Health Officers from the Local Authority. Animal samples (poo picking!) may also be collected at these visits and sent for testing at one of APHA’s laboratories.
Early sampling of animals in Cryptosporidium outbreaks is critical to increase chances of detection so we must move quickly once an animal source is suspected. APHA veterinarians will also liaise with the private veterinary surgeon (PVS) for the premises – working with the PVS in outbreaks such as this is very important and highlights the need for continued collaboration between PVSs and APHA.
Any animal samples from which Cryptosporidium is detected at the APHA laboratory are then sent to the National Cryptosporidium Reference Unit, which is managed by Public Health Wales in Swansea, for further characterisation. Further analysis can be undertaken, for example comparing the of the animal and human isolates to see if there is a match. Work is continually ongoing to improve the sensitivity of detection of Cryptosporidium in animal faeces.
The IMT will meet throughout the outbreak to discuss recent developments, findings and progress. Once the outbreak is declared to be over, the work does not stop – next comes the creation of an outbreak report and, importantly, discussions of lessons learnt from the outbreak, so IMT members can continually improve and develop their approaches. Variations of this approach are employed for a variety of different types of disease outbreaks.
I hope this has given a glimpse into some of APHA’s zoonotic disease work and how we operationalise the One Health approach during outbreaks. Addressing such issues requires transdisciplinary team working and it is a privilege and a pleasure to be able to work with and learn from talented colleagues within APHA and beyond!
]]>As International Programme Manager at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Dr Flavie Vial facilitates international cooperation and knowledge exchange on preparing for, and responding to, animal disease threats. As part of her role, Flavie oversees APHA’s delivery of Official Development Assistance funded projects focused on food safety and security as well as strengthening animal health systems. Let us hear more from Flavie in this blog.
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Now in its ninth year, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science continues to raise awareness of the significant gender gap at all levels of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), It also pushes for the recognition that tackling some of the greatest challenges of the United Nations’ Agenda for Sustainable Development will rely on harnessing talent of all genders.
I have had the privilege of working in over 10 countries to date, as an academic, as a consultant and more recently as an international programme manager at APHA. I have been thinking a lot lately about how most of the work done globally in animal health, plant health or One Health could give more consideration to gender[1], since females represent half of the human population and playing important roles in human health the environment and the animals and plants they depend on. Gender blindness, the practice of ignoring differences between genders, is still an issue in public health programmes despite a long-standing recognition of gendered inequalities.
It is only in the last decade or so that animal health experts have been questioning the potential harm of research, policy, or delivery of services which are gender-blind. The World Organisation for Animal Health Gender Task Force was only set up in 2021. The lack of gender consideration in my field partly results from the absence of research and evidence to generate meaningful guidance for gender-sensitive decision-making. This is further aggravated by the lack of diversity in the animal health workforce. When teams are composed of people from similar backgrounds, their perspectives are limited. This translates into policies, services and interventions that fail to be inclusive. Let me share with you some examples illustrating why gender matters in animal health.
Globally, the share of women in the livestock sector varies significantly by livestock species. The most profitable breeds of livestock (cattle, camels, and buffalo) are often under the control of men. Women are more likely to control less-profitable livestock breeds (poultry and small ruminants).
Gender-specific social and domestic roles can affect an individual’s risk of exposure to various hazards, including infectious diseases and zoonoses. For example, where men mainly work in slaughterhouses, they are at greater risk of brucellosis or anthrax infection because of their direct contact with the flesh and bodily fluids of diseased dead animals. Women can be more at risk of contamination from bacteria such as Campylobacter from handling raw products during food preparation.
The burden of household management and childcare may well increase during an animal disease outbreak. For example, if a male farmer is working extra hours to manage the spread of the disease, this may in turn imply additional time that women will be at home caring for children. Or women may contribute to the increased labour on the farm or must feed farm workers working longer hours. This may have additional unintended consequences of forfeited additional income or educational advancement (if women study or work in the evenings while their partners care for children).
Information may be the most important resource during or after an outbreak. Information may not reach women because it can be given at a time that does not take account of their daily schedules or at male-only sites such as dip tanks, coop meetings, or even informally through friendship or clan networks.
As part of the Defra Official Development Assistance-funded Animal Health Systems Strengthening project I am involved in, APHA is working with Ghana Poultry Network to train 90 Community Animal Health Workers (CAHW) over a 3-year period in 30 communities in the Upper East Region of Ghana. In remote areas underserved by public or private qualified veterinarians, trained CAHWs can perform a limited range of veterinary tasks and popularize good husbandry practices to optimise animal production, health and welfare. In 2023, 22 out of the 30 trainees we sponsored were female. Not only are these women able to earn an income and support their families, their social status and recognition within their communities has increased drastically.
Achieving gender balance brings diverse perspectives and talents to all fields. In the veterinary/animal health field, the numbers of women professionals in the animal health sector continue to grow across the globe. However, the animal health sector’s culture, institutions, and policies are yet to be fully adjusted to this change. Doing so will not only benefit individual professionals but will also:
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[1] Gender identity can be understood to include how someone describes themselves, how they present, and how they feel. There are at least 80 different cultural terms to describe gender constructs. For the purpose of this post, I use the simplest gender-binary construct in which the biological determinants of sex are congruent and consistent with an individual's gender identity.
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Hear from Sarah Stewart, Stakeholder and Events Manager, as she talks about what goes into organising an APHA event, including a recent event where 18 high-achieving international science students visited our headquarters at Weybridge.
I recently wrote a blog about the outreach work that I am involved in. Another aspect of my role is to co-ordinate visits to the APHA Weybridge site in Surrey.
Our science headquarters has been on its current site in Addlestone, Surrey for over 100 years and, as you can imagine, we get lots of enquiries to visit the site due to our world-wide reputation and expertise in an extensive range of animal and plant diseases. Many of these diseases can have a detrimental impact on the farming or horticulture industry if outbreaks occur and our experts are regularly tracking disease reports to assess the level of risk and severity.
APHA and the Department for Environment, Food, Rural Affairs (Defra) provide advice to farmers, vets, plant growers and bee-keepers about managing diseases and respond to the more serious notifiable diseases in animals, plants and bees by putting in place control measures to protect the UK from severe outbreaks. We are currently dealing with a number of disease threats to the animal, plant and bee populations from bird flu, Colorado beetle and Asian hornets!
Organising visits to the APHA science headquarters is a little like preparing a gourmet meal, bringing all the best ingredients together to make a delicious starter, main course and dessert to fulfil the taste and appetite of the visitors.
My job is to ensure the table is set (book a meeting room), the menu suits the time (2 or 3 course?) and assemble the key ingredients (scientific experts), then put them all together in the right order and best combination to make a satisfying meal (programme of talks and tours) to satisfy the diners (visitors). We have a ready-made meal that we can use at any time but enjoy tailoring the menu to suit specific requests and hope that everyone goes home satisfied, without any allergic reactions!
We regularly receive requests from industry, government, academia and other science institutes from across the UK and abroad to come to see the APHA Weybridge science headquarters. They wish to learn more about the research, surveillance and diagnostic work we do and to view the science facilities, some of which are unique in the country, including the high containment labs and post-mortem rooms.
APHA and Defra are also in the process of redeveloping the site over the next 10 years to future-proof the facilities. This has brought a lot of interest from a range of stakeholders involved in the programme of work. Read about the importance of this in a previous blog by Jenny Stewart, Director of Science Transformation.
In August, we were pleased to welcome 18 high-achieving science students from New Zealand, Poland, Belgium, China, Kenya, Barbados, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Canada and the UK who chose to visit our site in Surrey. APHA Weybridge was one of the many science institutes that the students could visit during their two-week STEM Summer Camp organised by the London International Youth Science Forum. This was the sixth year that APHA has taken part in the programme, and we were pleased to welcome another group of engaged students this year.
It is important to set the scene (or ‘lay the table’) when visitors arrive and the students were welcomed by our Science Director, Yvonne Spencer, who ‘ran through the menu’, giving an overview of APHA and the Science Directorate.
The students then heard from our experts working in a range of science areas with topical, taster talks on Antimicrobial Resistance, the bird flu outbreak, developing a cattle vaccine for bovine tuberculosis, as well as APHA’s international outreach in Africa and Asia helping countries to develop their animal health knowledge and capabilities.
The final presentation (or dessert) from the Department of Epidemiological Sciences highlighted the interdisciplinary work of our data analysts, statistician’s and modellers, who pull all the research and diagnostic reports together to assess risks and develop models of infection.
The talks were broken up by four tours to the research and diagnostic laboratories working on vector borne diseases (and their insectary), high containment avian virology testing, animal feed testing and routine surveillance and international trade.
At the end of the visit, Aliya Allen from New Zealand, thanked us for hosting the visit and explained how the students valued the opportunity to visit APHA and to have the chance to speak to so many experts in their field.
Chan Hai Choi from China wrote a letter of thanks after the visit:
“I am writing to express my sincere gratitude for the insightful visit I had at your facility on 1 August 2023 organised by the APHA Events Team. I was incredibly interested in learning more about your work on animal and plant health, and I found your staff to be both knowledgeable and helpful.
I learned a great deal about the important work that your agency does to protect our nation's animal and plant health. I was particularly impressed by the tour of your facility, where I saw first-hand the cutting-edge research that is being done to prevent and control animal diseases. I was also impressed by the dedication and commitment of the staff at the laboratory.”
We hope that the range of presentations and tours gave the students a ‘flavour’ of our main areas of work and to understand the importance of animal health and its linkage with public health and the environment.
More recently we held two open days for students from colleges close to the APHA Weybridge site. We welcomed students from Godalming Sixth Form College on 1 November and Brooklands College the following day to see some practical demonstrations by our STEM ambassadors and go on tours of our laboratories and animal science departments.
Yvonne Spencer, the Science Transformation Director, met with all the students and was pleased to see their interest in talking to our staff. She hopes their visit highlights the diversity of roles in science and at the Agency and inspires them to continue with their science studies and ambition to work in science or associated areas.
If you are interested in or organising a visit to our Weybridge site, please contact events@apha.gov.uk with further details.
You can read about the Godalming College visit on their college website and the Brooklands College visit on theirs.
You might also be interested in other high-profile visits to the site
]]>Our names are Remedios F. Micu and Mary Ann R. Escoto, and we are from the National Meat Inspection Services (NMIS) of the Philippines. NMIS is a specialised regulatory agency of the Department of Agriculture and is the country’s sole national controlling and competent authority on all matters pertaining to meat inspection and hygiene.
We are both laboratory scientists from the Departments of Microbiology and Molecular Biology. Some of our duties include inspecting meat for the presence of contaminants such as bacteria and parasites and identification of meat species. We also conduct surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in apparently healthy food animals and recently African Swine Fever in slaughterhouses.
We visited the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) from 26 June to 12 July, 2023. Working with APHA’s FAO Reference Centre for AMR is a dream come true for both of us and for the NMIS.
We are currently doing a collaborative project with APHA on using whole genome sequencing (WGS), antibiotic susceptibility testing and epidemiological data to achieve insight into antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. isolated from poultry in dressing plants in the Philippines. The visit was very significant for us as this was the first-time staff from NMIS had visited APHA and successfully collaborated in a research project. The visit has allowed us to share knowledge and ideas which we hope will strengthen our food safety policies, food security, and laboratory capacity for NMIS scientists.
Training in the UK was a pleasant experience, somewhat like attending your first day of school. Not only did we get to meet and have discussions with different scientists and experts in their fields, but it also allowed us to get familiar with different laboratory procedures.
We first had a short meeting with APHA’s Dr Rod Card, Head of the U.K. FAO Reference Centre for AMR, together with his colleague, Dr Ramon Maluping, who arranged and prepared an outstanding itinerary and program of activities for our visit.
Dr Card gave us an overview of the agency and the many activities of the Reference Centre. We learned that these activities fall into one or more categories namely: international engagement; capacity building; guidance and standards; and surveillance and research. Dr Card explained to us how some of the data gathered from surveillance programmes was used to inform policies and guidelines. He also presented some of their past and on-going collaborative research projects on utilising WGS to achieve insight on AMR.
Our first week was full of laboratory tours and discussions with section heads and fellow scientists. We were fortunate enough to be able to perform (with guidance of APHA scientists) actual laboratory work such as performing antibiotic susceptibility testing using broth microdilution, identification of Campylobacter species using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrophotometry (MALDI-TOF MS), and Salmonella serotyping using conventional and WGS approaches, just to cite a few. We also spent substantial time at APHA’s Central Sequencing Unit and visited the Biological Production Unit where culture media and reagents are being prepared.
We had a very useful discussion and consultation with the entire UK FAO Reference Centre for AMR team, the departmental quality advisor, the team leads of both AMR and Disinfectant Team and the lead veterinarian from the Field Epidemiology and Surveillance Team. We were also able to deliver a presentation on “who we are and what we do” during the Department of Bacteriology meeting.
In the final week, we got a chance to visit the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, the UK lead for AMR policy in animal health. We spent time with their Residues and AMR teams to understand how they carry out their animal AMR monitoring programmes and National Residues Control Plan across the UK.
Since it was our first time in Europe, we made sure to squeeze in some time to explore London and the nearby areas. We had the opportunity to learn a bit of English culture and observed how the majority of people were helpful, friendly, and well-mannered. We were amazed to see the magnificent architecture and sights of London that we had only seen on television and magazines. We were also fascinated about how the British weather was frequently a topic of many conversations!
We are very pleased that the abstract from our collaborative research project with APHA entitled ‘Prevalence of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactam (ESBL) and Colistin Resistance in Escherichia coli Isolated from Broiler Chickens in Dressing Plants in the Philippines’ was accepted for an oral presentation at the 9th International Symposium on Antimicrobial Resistance on Animals and the Environment (ARAE).
With the support from the UK FAO Reference Centre, we were able to attend this outstanding conference. This gave us a once in a lifetime opportunity to listen to excellent presentations on topics of One Health AMR. We were also able to meet and network with academicians, researchers, and fellow scientists who are working in the field of AMR.
We are grateful for this opportunity to visit APHA and be trained by their experts. We would like to thank them for their support, encouragement and for providing us with well-planned and very organised activities. We are looking forward to continued collaboration, future guidance, and capacity building as we aspire to a greater height.
]]>APHA is designated as a Reference Centre for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). This designation is held in partnership with the Centre for Environment Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD).
Through the Reference Centre, the three agencies work together to raise awareness of AMR and provide a broad portfolio of expertise to support capacity development abroad.
This World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) we have invited colleagues from all three agencies to share examples of what they are doing on or around WAAW to build AMR awareness and support action internationally.
“Earlier this month we represented the Reference Centre at the United Arab Emirates-United Kingdom One Health AMR Consortium hosted by Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi. This brought together government and academic experts from both countries to design approaches to improve our understanding of the development and spread of AMR in animals, humans and the environment using phenotypic and genomic approaches. This international collaboration will help us develop combined expertise in AMR to support future surveillance practices and policies.”
Dr Manal AbuOun, APHA and Dr Athina Papadopoulou, Cefas
“During WAAW, we will be joining colleagues at the University of Zambia to select two MSc students for a new AMR postgraduate programme, funded by the UK Fleming Fund. VMD is collaborating with this university for the studentship programme, which will support two MSc researchers and one PhD student throughout their studies. The project will enable local students to develop their scientific knowledge and gain academic qualifications, while conducting research which contributes to a better understanding of antimicrobial use in the Zambian livestock sector, providing valuable information in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.”
Dr Claire Gilbert and Dr Alison Pyatt
“I am visiting Senegal with Dr Rod Card (APHA) and Dr Elizabeth Marier (VMD) during WAAW. We are meeting with a variety of colleagues, including personnel from the FAO Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases team in Senegal and the FAO Reference for AMR at the Institute Pasteur de Dakar, to discuss how the Reference Centre can help strengthen agri-environment AMR surveillance in Senegal. This will help us determine how best to provide additional support through the Reference Centre's Fleming funding and other mechanisms, and also how this support can be aligned with similar activities in other countries supported by the Fleming Fund in West Africa.”
Dr David Verner-Jeffreys
“To celebrate and raise awareness for the of the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) 2023, I am representing the UK’s FAO Reference Centre for AMR at the webinar ‘Avoiding AMR together: Ensuring healthy and safe aquatic foods’ which is organised by the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division of the FAO in collaboration with the FAO Reference Centres for AMR and Aquaculture Biosecurity, on 27 November 2023. During the webinar, I will present the surveillance programmes for AMR that can be implemented in farmed aquatic animals on par with WOAH recommendations and will share our knowledge and experiences from the pilot surveillance programmes in UK.”
Dr Athina Papadopoulou
“In early November, I was invited to the New Haw Junior School to talk about AMR to Year 6 pupils (aged 10 to 11 years). This school is in the same Surrey village as our APHA headquarters, and my visit was part of the school’s Golden Futures programme. I was able to talk about my work on antimicrobial resistance with 90 enthusiastic pupils and was amazed by how much the children already knew and their really insightful questions.
The week after WAAW I will be in Thailand to attend a Regional AMR Technical Advisory Group Meeting for the animal health sector, following an invitation from the FAO which is organising the event. This meeting will see delegates from across South and South-East Asia gather to share updates on their ongoing work on AMR and to identify new opportunities to work together to tackle it.”
Dr Ramon P. Maluping
We hope that during WAAW everyone has had an opportunity to learn something new about AMR and consider how together we can contribute to the prevention of antimicrobial resistance.
If you want to learn more about the work of the AMR Reference Centre, please email us.
]]>Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a global threat to both animal and human health. In this blog, APHA’s Tom Chisnall explains what AMR is and how antibiotic resistant bacteria found in migratory birds, could affect farm livestock.
Over the years, APHA have published many blogs concerning Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). AMR occurs when bacteria, and other microorganisms, develop a resistance to antimicrobial drugs, such as antibiotics, making them less effective in treating infections. APHA uses many approaches to detect, understand, and contain the threat of AMR.
At APHA, many groups are involved in detecting antibiotic resistant bacteria from livestock and wild animals. These wild animals include migratory birds, which often visit farms for food and shelter, and move between countries. It is important to understand which antibiotic resistant bacteria are found in migratory birds, as they could transfer these resistant bacteria to farms, affecting the livestock. This information can be used to introduce measures to prevent contact between wild birds and livestock.
Our knowledge and understanding of AMR at APHA is shared globally, for example, through collaborations with partners abroad and the scientific publications arising from this collaborative work. A key part of our international work on AMR is carried out through the UK’s Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Reference Centre for AMR, working with government laboratories and research partners located in low- and middle-income countries to develop their approach to investigate AMR and antimicrobial use.
As part of this, in collaboration with partners at the Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute, we have published work on identifying and characterising antibiotic resistant Salmonella strains in migratory birds.
Bangladesh lies in the path of two migratory flyways, the East Asian–Australasian Flyway and the Central Asian Flyway. Birds migrate between breeding grounds in Northern regions and their overwintering quarters in the South. Migratory birds either overwinter in Bangladesh or pass through as part of their annual migration and therefore afforded an ideal opportunity for sampling and testing to assess their carriage of Salmonella.
Sampling area of Tanguar Haor and Hakaluki Haor in Bangladesh. © 2023 Card, Chisnall, Begum, Sarker, Hossain, Sagor, Mahmud, Uddin, Karim, Lindahl and Samad, Multidrug-resistant non-typhoidal Salmonella of public health significance recovered from migratory birds in Bangladesh, Front. Microbiol., 15 May 2023, Sec. Antimicrobials, Resistance and Chemotherapy, Volume 14 – 2023, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1162657Birds were sampled at Tanguar and Hakaluki Haors, diverse wetland ecosystems in North-eastern Bangladesh, which provide important habitats for migratory birds. Up to ~40,000 migratory waterfowl from 98 species converge on Tanguar Haors at the height of migration.
It is well understood that migratory birds can harbour avian influenza and in our study we wanted to establish if this was also the case with antibiotic resistant Salmonella. We selected the bacteria Salmonella because it is a zoonotic disease, meaning it is able to pass between animals and humans, and is of significant public and animal health concern worldwide. We collected samples from the migratory birds and isolated the Salmonella bacteria. Then, using gold-standard antibiotic susceptibility testing methods, we found that several of these Salmonella isolates were multi-drug resistant (multi-drug resistant Salmonella has been associated with more serious disease in people). We also found that some of the Salmonella isolates were resistant to the antibiotic ciprofloxacin and this was an important finding because the World Health Organisation classifies ciprofloxacin resistant Salmonella as a priority pathogen.
To further assess the Salmonella, we used whole genome sequencing to define the DNA content of each bacterium we had isolated from the birds and compared these to data reported from other studies. This analysis showed that some of the Salmonella strains we identified were very similar to those found in India, China, and South Korea. Migratory birds could, therefore, play an important role in the long range spread of antibiotic resistant Salmonella.
This emphasises the worldwide threat of antibiotic resistant bacteria, which requires global collaboration to control, particularly as many antibiotics are used in both humans and animals.
Following the results of this project, the FAO Reference Centre for AMR continues to collaborate with government institutions and the FAO in Bangladesh by supporting continued AMR surveillance and stakeholder engagement with farmers to increase awareness of farm biosecurity to help prevent introduction of disease via wildlife.
It is important to stress that the transmission pathways between wild animals, farmed livestock and the environment are complex and multi-directional. The measures promoted by Defra to prevent the transmission of Avian influenza seek to prevent transmission from farmed poultry to wild birds, and vice versa. The recent Veterinary Antimicrobial Resistance and Sales Surveillance (VARSS) report indicates that sales of antibiotics for use in food-producing animals in the UK fell by nearly 10 percent in the last year and have more than halved since 2014. This positive news is combined with declining detection of resistant bacteria in UK livestock, but we must continue with our efforts to tackle the problem.
AMR is a global threat to both animal and human health that requires the work of many disciplines and sectors to control. During World AMR Awareness Week APHA we will be sharing other examples of the work we are doing to combat AMR.
]]>Observatree is an early warning system using citizen science to help spot new pest and disease threats to UK trees, and to increase plant health surveillance delivered through a partnership approach.
Many people remember the impact Dutch Elm disease had on the removal of mature Elm from our landscape, and posters in police stations urging people to report. More recently, the arrival of Ash dieback prompted a national conversation and raised public awareness of the threats to plant health and the landscape.
Set against this backdrop, ten years ago a bid for EU Life funding was made. The proposed project aimed to establish whether a network of specialist volunteers could be trained to look out for, and report on, plant pests and diseases of concern.
Happily, the bid was successful, and Observatree was launched in October 2013 with an enthusiastic collective partnership at the helm.
APHA have contributed through technical input at partnership meetings and in helping steer and develop the project with a place on the Observatree board. On the ground, our exceptional inspectors have delivered in-field training to volunteers. To date some 200 volunteers have been trained in recording and recognition skills for 24 priority pests and diseases.
Working with the regional managers to find people who would like to be involved has been key and there has been no shortage of people coming forward over the last ten years.
APHA’s Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate (PHSI) have delivered biosecurity training to new and existing volunteers. Each of our inspectors bring their own style of delivery, taking the opportunity to share anecdotes and experiences in the plant health field.
We have taken part in workshops covering tree identification, surveying and recording, and biosecurity. The tree identification sessions proved particularly popular with everyone, and there were always some slightly tricky conifer species thrown in for good measure.
The first post COVID-19 session, in the Wyre Forest, was particularly memorable. We had all been inside for so long due to restrictions, so to reaffirm collectively with nature and the trees had a special significance. We learned the techniques for assessing tree crown condition, used back to basics trigonometry to calculate height and size, and met up with folk who until then we had only met online.
Being a board member has provided a great opportunity for building and strengthening partnerships, to work with new colleagues, and to consider next steps for the project such as associate partners. It has been key to supporting and guiding the project through the initial funding phase and beyond. Throughout, it has been the willingness of partners to work together to make Observatree a success which has been key in bringing this new approach to the table for identifying pests and diseases.
With partners, we have promoted Observatree at external events including The Royal Welsh Show, Horticultural Trades Association shows, RHS Chelsea and local regional shows. We have provided technical input to project resources such as the Pest and Disease Field Guides which are a real asset and actively signpost stakeholders to them.
We also attended a parliamentary reception at the Houses of Parliament, a real opportunity to showcase the work of Observatree and the partnership approach to ministers in quite a unique setting!
The first big success came in the summer of 2015. Oriental chestnut gall wasp (OCGW) had just been found for the first time in the United Kingdom (UK) in a Kent woodland, and plans were being drawn up to limit its spread. An Observatree volunteer then reported it north of London, some 50 miles away. This prompted further surveillance by tree and plant health inspectors who found evidence of the gall wasps in many areas between. This altered our understanding of pest distribution, how long it had probably been in the UK and, provided an early indication of the potential of the Observatree project.
Other notable reported finds from volunteers have been Elm zig zag sawfly, Oak Processionary Moth and Phytophthora ramorum.
Over the ten years, volunteers have submitted an amazing 20,000 reports and, although finding pests and diseases can be exciting, data submitted about healthy trees are just as important. These absence data help us to understand the current extent of a pest or disease. The project is considering how all these data can be made available and shared more widely (for research for example).
Some volunteers are also engaged in developing a sentinel network, where the same tree or group of trees are looked at regularly. There has also been opportunity to help with specific projects and research-based activities including sticky traps deployment.
The number of tree pests and diseases arriving in the UK from other parts of the world has increased significantly in recent times. Others are thought to be heading our way, helped by increased global movement of goods and people, and changing climatic conditions. However, with the collective efforts of government, citizen science, charitable trusts, Non-Government Organisations and the public, we can perhaps be in a better position to detect and respond to these threats.
Finally, a big thanks for the expertise, enthusiasm, and support that our inspectors, managers, project partners and the volunteers have brought to Observatree over the last 10 years, during which time the project has grown, developed and thrived, at a time in which there have been many changes and pressures in the plant health world.
Have a look at the tree pests and diseases we are most keen to hear about. If you think you may have spotted any of them, please report using Tree Alert.
If you would like to find out more, please check out these links.
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At the beginning of October, APHA exhibited at New Scientist Live 2023 for the first time. We were pleased to join nearly one hundred other exhibitors at one of the largest festivals of science in the UK.
This was the first time the agency had been to the three-day public show, which draws over 20,000 people from all age groups with an interest in science. It is also the first time APHA has organised an exhibition stand to unite animal and plant health public engagement messages on biosecurity. Over 23,000 people attended the show, and we were pleased to talk to around 1500 on our stand over the weekend, with 700 on the ‘Schools Day’ alone!
Our stand, built using re-used wooden frames and plinths sourced sustainably for the Chelsea Flower show, comprised five displays to take the visitors on a journey from potential disease threats for animals, plants and bees onto how everyone can help to protect animal and plant health through some simple biosecurity practices.
The first display introduced some of the common plant pests, animal pathogens and vectors that can be detrimental to plants, animals and bees. Lucy Carson Taylor, who has been leading the plant health public engagement work for a number of years, provided some great models of a Colorado potato beetle, oak processionary moths, an Asian hornet and Asian longhorn beetle. We did not have many models from the animal health side which meant sourcing some animal pathogen models over the summer! We commissioned a colourful new avian influenza (bird flu) virus model and purchased a range of fluffy bacteria and mosquitoes, which allowed us to discuss how animal and plants can become unwell.
We also borrowed a huge E. coli model from the University of Salford following a call for assistance through the Royal Society of Biology outreach group and the Microbiology Society. We were excited when Professor Chloe James offered to loan us two E. coli models that she uses at events to demonstrate how bacteriophages work. Two university students with an interest in public engagement of science from Chloe’s network also volunteered to join us to talk about bacteria and other pathogens and pests. This was a great team effort to share outreach resources and knowledge.
A Lego farm was a fun way for visitors to drive vehicles along the road between farms, showing how an ultraviolet torch lit up the possible ‘germs’ in the tracks where the tyres had been spiked with a glow in the dark gel. This highlighted the importance for farmers to keep the tyres of vehicles entering or leaving their farm clean.
Two mannequins were dressed to impress! One wore clothes showing how countryside walkers could spread disease and pests on their clothes and footwear and another wore a disposable boiler suit, helmet and wellington boots showing how scientists protect themselves from disease. A boot disinfecting pad gave the children a fun thing to trample through to reiterate the need to clean your footwear.
The ‘Don’t Risk It’ red suitcase and luggage labels highlighted the risks from imports and reminded people travelling abroad not to bring plants and animal food products back into the UK.
Our newly commissioned landscape model covered a whole range of environmental areas, allowing us to ask questions and point to areas that might be high risk areas for transmission between farms, homes, seashores, plant nurseries and wildlife, bringing home the ‘Stop the Spread’ message.
Our stand was staffed by APHA Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) ambassadors from animal and plant health. Everyone said how good it was to talk to so many people about our work and ways they could help us to protect animal and plant health, conveying how this can also affect people, food and the environment. The show was quite expensive to attend, but we were pleased to provide free tickets for some disadvantaged students from three schools close to our science headquarters in Surrey.
Having looked around the stand, we asked people to pledge to protect animal and plant health in one of 3 ways: 1) wash their boots after a walk; 2) report dead wild birds or 3) not to bring home plant and animal food products from abroad. If anyone pledged 2 or 3, they were given a card with details of helpline numbers or a luggage tag as reminders. The results showed they were willing to consider taking action to help improve biosecurity and the children all walked away with a ‘I am a biosecurity champion’ sticker, which we hope encourages them to remember this in their daily lives. We also hope to have inspired some to consider careers in science and possibly at APHA sites around the country.
“I was really impressed by how busy our stand was and how the creative, fun and interactive displays enabled our specialists to have conversations around animal and plant health risks and biosecurity. As a scientist, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole exhibition, the innovations and insight into the future and I was so proud of our APHA stand and team and hope that we have inspired some of the budding scientists to consider working with us one day.”
Yvonne Spencer, Director of Science Transformation, APHA
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One Health recognises that human, animal and plant health are interdependent and bound to the health of the ecosystems in which they exist. It means working to understand, anticipate and address risks to global health. Worldwide, nearly 75% of all emerging human infectious diseases since 1993 have originated in animals so the optimal and most cost-effective solution is to control the disease in animals, both nationally and internationally, thereby protecting damage to the environment and preventing the pathogen reaching the human population.
This blog, alongside the UK Chief Veterinary Officer’s blog, highlight some of the ways that we are championing a One Health approach.
This year APHA secured new funding to deliver innovative research to better understand vectors, including mosquitoes, midges and ticks, vector-borne diseases and their impact. This is particularly critical considering climate change, warmer summer temperatures and rapid international travel, all which pose potential threats to animal and human health.
APHA holds the UK National Reference Laboratory for mosquito-borne viruses such as West Nile Virus (WNV) and Rift Valley Fever virus, which could spread to the UK as environmental temperatures rise.
Our recent research has shown the UK mosquito, Culex pipiens, can be infected with Japanese Encephalitis virus, not found in the UK, at 21°C but infected mosquitoes did not contain the live virus in their saliva, suggesting an inability to transmit infection. However, at 25°C live virus was detected in saliva, suggesting that bites could transmit virus should the virus reach the UK in susceptible vector species during the warmer months.
We are undertaking further research to study the vector competence of UK target mosquito species for WNV and are developing a serological test for this virus. We are also taking an integrated approach to surveying ticks and establishing molecular tests for the detection of tick-borne pathogens in livestock and wildlife.
The Brucella species usually of concern are those infecting livestock, causing production losses and threatening human health, but these do not occur in the UK.
B.canis is a bacterial species affecting dogs, which can cause an infection known as brucellosis, which can also spread to humans. Cases of B.canis are rare in GB, but instances are on the increase – with most positive cases found in, or linked to, dogs imported from Eastern Europe. We have raised awareness of B.canis and brucellosis through an extensive piece of work to raise awareness among veterinary professionals, whilst continuing to test samples from animals as part of our roles as a National Reference Laboratory and United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) International Reference laboratory/Centre for brucellosis.
Rabies is a devastating disease that affects mammals, including humans, and remains an endemic disease in many countries around the world. The UK is officially free of rabies. APHA’s Rabies laboratory is working to prevent the re-introduction of rabies into the UK and in supporting numerous overseas rabies capability-building projects. Consequently, technical support has been provided to the Government of Sierra Leone with funding from the World Organisation for Animal Health in partnership with the FAO Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases, to enhance the laboratory-based capabilities for rabies diagnosis and surveillance. This has led to an improved outcome for Sierra Leone in being able to independently diagnose rabies cases in animals, thereby improving the outcome for patients and reducing the spread of rabies in the environment.
Last year the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) in partnership with APHA launched the OneFood programme in The Republic of South Africa (RSA) with the RSA Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The programme highlights the importance of identifying and controlling hazards in food systems, combining specialisms in new ways to design and champion sustainable food systems, specifically in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). The project is funded by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) within the Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate.
AHSS delivers multiple projects in collaboration with LMICs, to build resilient health systems, by using our expertise to help strengthen their animal health systems. AHSS is in place to better protect, detect and respond to known and emerging diseases and health threats.
AHSS is a collaboration between Defra, APHA, Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), and Cefas. So far, projects have included working with non-governmental organisations in Ghana, which reach local organisations vaccinating small ruminants and poultry against infectious diseases, as well as training Community Animal Health Workers.
Last year, AHSS funding in partnership with the University of Ghana with EcoHealth Alliance from the USA, focused on an outbreak of Marburg disease in Ghana. People living near the first case were educated about the dangers of Marburg spreading from animals to humans via activities such as hunting and eating bushmeat. As a result, people reported changes in behaviour, suggesting that continued education and outreach, including ways to reduce and prevent disease risks, is indispensable.
OHEJP was a ground-breaking five-year programme that finished recently. It brought experts together across borders to tackle issues including foodborne zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance, and emerging threats.
Thirty research projects, many of which APHA were partners in, and 17 PhD projects, brought together researchers to ensure people continue to learn together about One Health issues. OHEJP demonstrated that collaborations between medical, veterinary, and environmental professions work well and that this approach is essential in combating emerging issues, ultimately improving food security and human, animal and environmental health.
AMR remains a global public health threat. AMR occurs when bacteria, and other microorganisms develop resistance to antimicrobial drugs reducing how effectively they treat infections. The UK FAO AMR Reference Centre, led by APHA, Cefas and VMD, participated in a recent Delivery Partners Event in Ghana. We delivered the One Health AMR session, alongside colleagues from the WHO, FAO and Exeter University, providing partners with insight into priorities and key challenges to tackling AMR in a one health manner. You can learn more during World AMR Awareness Week (November 18th - 24th 2023).
Today’s blog highlights just some examples of how APHA’s collaborative One Health approach can:
By promoting collaboration across all sectors, a One Health approach can achieve the best health outcomes for people, animals, and plants in a shared environment and APHA continues to be a part of the solution in many areas, both nationally and internationally.
You may be interested in reading some of our previously published One Health-related blogs.
Additionally, further information on content contained in this blog can be found in the following links:
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