Research Focus: From intramammary infections in dairy cows to drivers of Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global crisis and reducing unnecessary antimicrobial use in livestock is an important part of addressing it. Dairy cows are commonly treated with antimicrobials at dry-off to manage mastitis, but some uninfected cows may also receive treatment. This study from researchers in Edinburgh Medical School analysed 185 milk samples to assess whether biomarkers in milk could direct and refine antimicrobial usage to ensure the correct cows are treated.

Cathelicidin and mammary amyloid A detected mammary infections with 70% accuracy, better than standard tests. This performance highlights its potential use as a practical tool to reduce unnecessary antimicrobial treatments at dry-off, supporting selective dry cow therapy without compromising detection of infected quarters.

Citation: Viora L, Pepler PT, O'Reilly EL, Brady N, Zadoks RN, Eckersall PD. Res Vet Sci. 2026 Jun;205:106161. doi: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2026.106161. Epub 2026 Mar 26. PMID: 41905028.

A new review led Nick Wheelhouse (Edinburgh Napier University) has examined how improving livestock health could contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from farming. Published in animal, the study brings together evidence from livestock systems around the world, including Africa, India and Latin America. 

Livestock diseases can reduce growth, milk production and fertility, while increasing mortality and the need for replacement animals. As a result, more feed, land and other resources may be needed to produce the same amount of food, increasing greenhouse gas emissions per kilogram of milk or meat produced. The review found that preventing and controlling disease can therefore improve both animal health and production efficiency, with potential climate benefits. However, the review also noted that these benefits are not yet adequately captured in many existing emissions models or national climate policies. Better data and methods are needed to quantify the climate benefits of animal health and translate them into policy. 

Citation: Wheelhouse N, Giannitti F, Cantón G, Gaurav A, Rosenstein P & Özkan Ş. (2026). Animal. DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2026.101890

Synchronised multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells causes periodic malaria fevers. 

Researchers from the School of Biological Sciences use the rodent model Plasmodium chabaudi to test when, following development in the liver, the blood stage of infection begins.

Researchers found that egress from the liver into the blood is aligned with the time of day of rhythmic host feeding, but only in wild type hosts, with egress occurring after a fixed period of pre-erythrocytic development in hosts without a canonical circadian clock.

Citation: Herbert-Mainero, A., Schneider, P., O’Donnell, A.J. et al. Commun Biol (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-026-10641-x

African swine fever virus (ASFV) causes a lethal fever in pigs, and spread of this disease threatens many pig species globally.

By contrast, ASFV infections in natural evolved hosts - warthogs and bushpigs - produce mild or zero symptoms. The macrophage (Mϕ) is the primary target of ASFV, and species-dependent responses in Mϕs are presumed to influence disease susceptibility.

Researchers from the Roslin Institute attempted to model these differences in vitro. They geneerated transgene-regulated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from domestic pig, wild boar, red river hog, and warthog and confirmed that their corresponding macrophages supported infection and replication of ASFV.

They ultimately found that warthogs did not release interferons (signalling proteins) upon infection and these stem cells can be used to understand ASFV infections and aid strategies to combat this disease.

Citation: Watson TM, Goatley LC, Meek S, Eory L, Kohler S, Berkley N, Sternberg S, Jackson M, Findlay A, Hoskins I, Girling S, Mee J, Archibald AL, Grey F, Steinbach F, Crooke H, Netherton CL, Burdon T. Stem Cell Reports. 2026 Aug 6:103046. doi: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2026.103046. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42561938.

In May 2026, an outbreak of Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus (BVD) was declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Researchers from the School of Biological Sciences and alumni from the Fleming Fund Fellowship Scheme have looked into the genomes from 22 samples obtained from individuals with BVD from Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

These genomes form a well-supported phylogenetic cluster separate from Bundibugyo virus variants associated with the 2007 and 2012 outbreaks.

Ultimately, researchers advocate to specifically increase decentralized laboratory diagnostics capacity, including genomic sequencing capacity, for limiting further outbreak expansion, timely detection and control of future outbreaks.

Citation: Amuri-Aziza, A., Luakanda-Ndelemo, G., Ayitewala, A. et al. Nat Med (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04628-8

A vital question in transcription regulation is how and to what extent transcription of different DNA species is differentially regulated to transcription of host genes.

RPRD2 has previously been characterized as an HIV restriction factor that blocks reverse transcription. However, RPRD2 has also been characterized as a regulator of global transcription of host genes.

Researchers from the Institute for Regeneration and Repair proposed that RPRD2 might affect how actively HIV DNA and similar virus-like parts of the genome are being copied into RNA.

Citation: Jackson-Jones KA, Loh HX, Tarcan A, Arif R, Duckett K, Fu RM, Hird C, Ferguson C, Castillo A, Sloan RD. bioRxiv. 2026 Jul 21:2026.07.21.739879. doi: 10.64898/2026.07.21.739879. PMID: 42539190; PMCID: PMC13419777.

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh and Makerere University, in collaboration with Uganda's Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), analysed six years of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak data across Uganda, aiming to explore the spatial patterns of outbreaks and the epidemiological factors underlying them. Building on earlier work that used cattle movement networks, the team applied Bayesian spatial modeling to map outbreak risk district by district.

While the cattle corridor accounted for the bulk of the outbreaks, differences in risk were identified across the country, though this may also reflect gaps in how outbreaks are detected and reported in other areas. The team also analysed the role of several possible drivers using a comprehensive epidemiological framework. Cattle density, vegetation, socio-economic indicators, and human population density were all linked to outbreak risk, pointing to factors that need to be considered from a systems perspective.

This kind of spatial risk mapping could help target interventions, such as vaccination, where they're needed most, a more cost-effective way to get ahead of a disease that carries a heavy economic toll for farmers and trade. But it also points to the need to extend and strengthen surveillance systems to get a more accurate picture of risk.

Citation: González Gordon, Lina, Muhanguzi, Dennis, Muwonge, Adrian, Ochwo, Sylvester, Nantima, Noelina, Ademun, Rose, Boden, Lisa, Mwiine, Norbert Frank, Bronsvoort, Barend Mark de C., Porphyre, Thibaud, Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, 2026, 4994209, 14 pages, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1155/tbed/4994209