Research Focus: From the genomic analysis of hair sheep from West and Central Africa to the history of brucellosis in the Middle East

Researchers from the Roslin Institute, in collaboration with colleagues from the Moredun Research Institute, Cameroon, Czechia, France, and the USA, used genomic data to characterise diversity in sheep populations from Cameroon and to investigate the contribution of African sheep to Caribbean sheep genomes.

This paper describes a genome-wide analysis of the Cameroon Blackbelly sheep, which reveals the unique genetic diversity they represent in the context of other African breeds and sheep from across the world. Results suggest that sheep from West/Central Africa played a significant role in the formation of breeds in the Americas, in particular, the Barbados Blackbelly breed, which is a hair sheep that resembles the Cameroon Blackbelly. Findings support previous speculation that during the slave trade, hair sheep from West/Central Africa were brought to the Caribbean and crossed with wool sheep of European origin to improve resilience to the local climate (characterised by heat, humidity and gastrointestinal parasites).

Citation: Wiener P, Friedrich J, Marr MM, Simo G, Tanya VN, Ballingall KT, Flegontov P, Rosen BD, Sallé G, Spangler G, Van Tassell CP, Salavati M, Meutchieye F, Clark EL. Mol Ecol. 2025 Jun 2:e17796. doi: 10.1111/mec.17796. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40454862.

Researchers from Edinburgh Napier University have been looking into how on-farm risk assessment data can inform practical management recommendations for controlling Johne’s disease in dairy herds across Northern Ireland. Through qualitative analysis of risk assessments conducted under the Animal Health and Welfare Northern Ireland (AHWNI) programme, five core categories of recommendations were identified, including improvements in calving area management and diagnostic testing strategies. 

The findings illustrate how structured farm-level data collection can be translated into targeted, evidence-based disease control measures. This work highlights the importance of integrating surveillance tools with advisory support to enhance Johne’s disease mitigation within commercial dairy systems.

Citation: Taylor-Holt EN, Strain S, Taylor NM, Williams S, Wheelhouse N, Hanks J, Orpin PG, Rose DC, Ekiri AB. Prev Vet Med. 2025 Aug;241:106538. doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106538. Epub 2025 Apr 25. PMID: 40319540.

Researchers from the Institute of Ecology and Evolution have been investigating the events leading up to the 2022 global Mpox outbreak. By sequencing Mpox cases from Cameroon and Nigeria, researchers demonstrated that there is ongoing zoonotic spillover from wildlife reservoirs into human populations, particularly along the densely forested Cameroon-Nigeria border.

They also uncovered the previously unrecognized in-country human-to-human transmission dynamics of Mpox within Nigeria dating back to 2015—nearly a decade before the virus surged globally in 2022.

The findings highlight an urgent need for increased surveillance and targeted vaccination strategies in high-risk regions to prevent future outbreaks.

Citation: Parker, E., Omah, I.F., Djuicy, D.D. et al. Nature (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09128-2

Researchers from the Centre for Inflammation Research recently published a book chapter in 'Fungal Biofilms' discussing fungal keratitis, an infection of the eye’s cornea caused by fungi like yeast, or filamentous fungi.

It’s a major cause of vision impairment, blindness, and eye-loss worldwide. While often seen as a “neglected tropical disease,” recent evidence shows that fungal keratitis cases are increasing in places like the UK. 

The review looks at how fungal keratitis develops, focusing especially on fungal biofilms—which are clusters of fungal filaments (hyphae) that stick together and protect the fungi. The review also explores how contact lenses can help spread the infection and examines lab and clinical studies on the disease. 

Researchers highlight current treatments and new strategies aimed at breaking down these protective biofilms. These include new ways to deliver drugs, treatments that alter the immune system, and therapies that use light to kill fungi. 

Citation: Fingerhut, L., Cheng, K.K.W., Ali, A., Mills, B. (2025). In: Ramage, G., Andes, D. (eds) Fungal Biofilms. Springer Series on Biofilms, vol 15. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-93315-8_15

Researchers from the Usher Institute in collaboration with co-authors from Imperial College London, University of Oxford, Queen's University Belfast, University of Aberdeen, and Public Health Scotland investigated the current evidence on the uptake of nirsevimab, RSV maternal vaccine, and RSV vaccines for older adults during the 2023/2024 RSV season. 

Nirsevimab uptake in infants ranged from 51.2% (95% CI: 29.3-72.7) in the United States to 90.1% (95% CI: 86.4-92.9) in Spain. For the RSV maternal vaccine and RSV vaccines for older adults, the meta-estimates were 30.5% (95% CI: 20.6-42.6) and 18.2% (95% CI: 10.8-28.9), respectively, with all data from the United States. Our findings also highlighted significant disparities in the uptake of RSV immunisation products across ethnic/racial groups and socioeconomic strata.

Citation: Daira Trusinska, Bohee Lee, Sohail Ferdous, Harley H.Y. Kwok, Becky Gordon, Junyi Gao, Liantao Ma, Hanbiao Xiong, Sir Aziz Sheikh, Jürgen Schwarze, John Busby, Cheryl Gibbons, Simon B. Drysdale, Sir Lewis Ritchie, Thomas Williams, Ting Shi, eClinicalMedicine, Volume 84, 2025, 103281, ISSN 2589-5370, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2025.103281.

The bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a common cause of serious infections which can be difficult to treat with conventional antibiotics. 

Researchers from the Centre for Inflammation Research and the Roslin Institute systematically identified studies investigating the response of cells, humans, or experimental animals to S. aureus, then combined their results using a computer algorithm called meta-analysis by information content. The analysis prioritised 3867 genes. 

In-depth study of these genes identified that they were strongly related to white blood (immune) cells and platelets (a cell involved in blood clotting). In addition to certain classical mechanisms of anti-bacterial defence, researchers also identified strong evidence for processes less well studied as defence mechanisms against S. aureus. Their analysis also identified possible targets for treatments to improve immune responses, many of which could be targeted using drugs which are already licenced for other purposes.

Citation: Clark D Russell, Seraphima Goeldner-Thompson, Emilie Smith, Jonathan E Millar, Bo Wang, Nicholas Parkinson, Sara Clohisey Hendry, Maaike Swets, J Ross Fitzgerald, J Kenneth Baillie, David H Dockrell, The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2025;, jiaf290, https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiaf290

Modern salmon feeds now rely more heavily on vegetable oils instead of traditional fish oils, causing excess fat to accumulate in the fish’s tissues. This lipid overload can weaken salmon immune defences, increasing their vulnerability to bacterial and viral infections in aquaculture settings.

At The Roslin Institute, scientists have identified a fat-recycling pathway—autophagy—in salmon cells, similar to processes well documented in humans and mice. In laboratory experiments, stimulating autophagy mobilized fats stored in lipid droplets converting them into healthier lipid forms and supressed lipotoxicity (a condition caused by unhealthy lipid overload), whereas blocking the pathway caused droplets to build up.

By harnessing this mechanism to break down and repurpose stored fat, researchers aim to prevent unhealthy lipid accumulation, bolster immune function, and ultimately improve farmed salmon welfare. Their findings offer a promising foundation for reducing disease losses in an industry projected to reach US $26 billion by 2030.

Citation: Phadwal K, Haggarty J, Kurian D, Martí JA, Sun J, Houston RD, Betancor MB, MacRae VE, Whitfield PD, Macqueen DJ. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids. 2025 Jun;1870(5):159636. doi: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2025.159636. Epub 2025 May 17. PMID: 40389074.

Brucellosis is a common zoonotic disease with major health and economic burdens. 

This paper, featuring researchers from the School of History, Classics and Archeology at University of Edinburgh, discusses the historical and contemporary prevalence of brucellosis in the Middle East, emphasizing its persistence due to socio-ecological dynamics and the critical role of livestock in transmission.

Deep-time perspectives and interdisciplinary methods, including the integration of archaeological, genetic, and epidemiological data, are utilized to trace the evolution and impact of the disease. This comprehensive approach highlights the need for enhanced surveillance, public awareness, and regional cooperation to tackle brucellosis effectively in the Middle East. 

The study underscores the potential of leveraging long-term historical insights to improve current and future disease management and policy-making.

Citation: Dadar Maryam, Bendrey Robin, Taylor G. Michael, Shahali Youcef, Frontiers in Microbiology, Volume 16, 2025, 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1571087, 1664-302X 

Researchers from the Usher Institute have published a new study illustrating that fundamental changes must be made to international trade policy to ensure equitable access to life-saving vaccines worldwide.

The paper shows that current policy recommendations aimed at tackling vaccine inequity reinforce the issue through structural biases. Using systems thinking, the authors show how this happens, where to aim new policies, and articulate the need for better collaboration and enforcement mechanisms.

The paper identifies 29 potentially transformational recommendations from the literature to support more just and effective planetary health policy. These include protection of public knowledge with enforceable access provisions at earlier points in vaccine development.

Brought together, these recommendations may offer a potential path towards global vaccine access.

Citation: Pepperrell T, Koivusalo M, Grant L, McCallum A. PLOS Glob Public Health. 2025 Jun 16;5(6):e0004012. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0004012. PMID: 40523010; PMCID: PMC12169585.