Research Focus: From the influence of ewe metabolic status to preventing snakebites

Inadequate ewe nutrition is a driver for neonatal lamb losses, although the association of ewe metabolic status with lamb passive transfer status (transfer of antibodies from the ewe to the lamb via colostrum) is poorly understood

Researchers from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and School of Social and Political Science investigated the relationship between ewe metabolic status, neonatal lamb losses, failure of passive transfer of immunity (FPTI) and lamb growth.

In order to do so, blood was taken from ewes to assess metabolic status 3 weeks prior to the start of lambing. Within 8‒24 hours of birth, individual lamb weights, sex and litter size were recorded. Lambs were also blood sampled to measure serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) to assess FPTI.

The team identified that low levels of the blood marker albumin in ewes – considered to be a marker of long-term protein status – was associated with lamb losses in the last weeks of pregnancy.

The researchers also found that high levels of another marker, beta-hydroxybutyrate (BOHB), in ewes – a marker of short-term energy status – was associated with failure of transfer of immunity via colostrum to lambs. 

Citation: Kelly RF, Jennings A, Burrough E, Russell G, Adam K, Gascoigne E, Davies PL, Duncan JS, Hopker A, Hyde RM, Lovatt FM, Bruce A, Corbishley A. Vet Rec. 2025 Dec 13;197(12):e297-e310. doi: 10.1002/vetr.5922. Epub 2025 Nov 11. PMID: 41220234; PMCID: PMC12699954.

Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium that can contaminate food and survive in food-processing environments, posing risks to food safety and public health. In this study, researchers from the Roslin Institute analysed genetic data from nearly 1,400 strains collected worldwide over the past 90 years to better understand how this bacterium spreads antibiotic resistance. 

Researchers found that two-thirds of the strains carried plasmids, which are small, transferable pieces of DNA that often contain genes conferring resistance to antibiotics. Over time, the number of resistance genes carried on plasmids has increased, accelerating the spread of resistance. They also identified a particular bacterial lineage carrying a high number of transferable resistance plasmids, raising concerns about future dissemination. 

The findings highlight the important role of plasmids in spreading antibiotic resistance and underscore the need for improved monitoring and control strategies in food production systems.  

Citation: Tian, X., Zhang, Z., Hou, W. et al. npj Sci Food (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-026-00733-7

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are genetic transcripts that do not produce proteins but are increasingly recognised for their roles in cellular processes and disease, including cancer and viral infections.

In this study, researchers from the Centre for Inflammation Research, Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute, and Centro Científico y Tecnológico de Excelencia Ciencia y Vida (from Chile) investigated the roles of SncmtRNA-2 (is currently unknown) and hsa-miR-620 in Ras-induced cellular transformation. The study utilised HPV-immortalised cells, 18NCo and HFK698, that overexpressed the Ras oncogene isoforms V, K, and H to assess the expression of SncmtRNA-2 and hsa-miR-620 in response to Ras activity.

The research demonstrated that transformation induced by Ras isoforms V, K, and H resulted in decreased expression of both SncmtRNA-2 and hsa-miR-620. Further investigation revealed that hsa-miR-620 is generated by processing of SncmtRNA-2, concomitant with increased expression of Promyelocytic Leukaemia Protein (PML), promoting cellular transformation and suggesting a regulatory relationship among these molecules in HPV-immortalised cells.

Citation: Jeldes, E., Varas-Godoy, M., González-Chacón, P., Campos, A. V., Martín, A. J. M., Villaman, C., Roco-Videla, Á., Villegas Olavarría, J., & Villota Arcos, C. (2026). HPV-18-Immortalised Cells Require the Downregulation of the SncmtRNA-2/Hsa-miR-620 Axis During Cell Transformation. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania), 62(1), 110. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina62010110

Contrary to predictions, Africa experienced the lowest burden of SARS-CoV-2, recording the fewest severe cases involving hospitalisations, and deaths. This narrative review from researchers from the School of Biological Sciences and Usher Institute explores proposed underlying factors, including underreporting of cases, population demographics, and pre-existing cross-reactive immunity, many of which have been previously described in the scientific literature. 

However, the review further extends this debate by highlighting major knowledge gaps and it proposes that responses to COVID-19 vaccines may also have varied across Africa and among different populations globally. This is because factors reported to influence infection outcomes are also known to affect vaccine responses. 

Addressing these phenomena is especially important in the face of emerging infectious disease threats, as it can enhance future pandemic preparedness both within the continent and globally.

Citation: Kerai T, Woolhouse M, Nyazema NZ, Mutapi F. Front Public Health. 2026 Feb 3;14:1761547. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1761547. PMID: 41710320; PMCID: PMC12909571.

Citation: Ilaria Galasso, Martyn Pickersgill, Giuseppe Testa, Social Science & Medicine, 2025, 118785, ISSN 0277-9536, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118785.

Sex determination in insects is usually set by sex chromosomes at fertilisation, but in dark‑winged fungus gnats it arises from an unusual interplay of zygotic, maternal, and environmental influences that can produce striking departures from the standard 1:1 primary sex ratio. 

Earlier studies suggested that these primary sex ratios may be heritable from mother to daughter. Other studies have found that in some species, there is an additional temperature effect on the primary sex ratio. However these observations have not been corroborated and elements remain unknown.

In order to understand the maternal inheritance of primary sex ratios, researchers from the School of Biological Sciences used sibling crosses and temperature‑shift experiments in the mushroom pest Lycoriella ingenua. 

They found that primary sex ratios are highly variable and heritable across lineages, yet not detectably influenced by temperature. These results point to a genetic—likely maternal and/or zygotic—basis for sex‑ratio distortion in this clade, refining hypotheses about the mechanisms and evolution of sex determination in Sciaridae.

Citation: Shlyakonova M, Monteith KM, Ross L, Baird RB. Heredity (Edinb). 2026 Feb;135(2):113-119. doi: 10.1038/s41437-026-00821-0. Epub 2026 Jan 29. PMID: 41606185; PMCID: PMC12891496.

Identifying host factors of SARS-CoV-2 is important to understanding the replication cycle and developing host-targeting antivirals.

Researchers from the Roslin Institute, Infection Medicine and Centre for Engineering Biology ran a targeted RNAi screen of druggable human genes and measured how much SARS‑CoV‑2 was made at two time points. Unlike many earlier studies, this covered the virus’s whole life cycle, including assembly and release. 

They found host genes that either help the virus or block it, and many of their hits matched results from other screens and human genetic studies. 

Researchers found that blocking Rab11a‑dependent transport (a pathway responsible for moving proteins from the recycling endosome to the plasma membrane) with a CDK9 inhibitor (compound 73) stopped virus release, suggesting a potential route for host‑targeted antivirals.

Citation: Kerr HEM, Daniels A, Fletcher SL, Craig N, O'Shea M, Griffiths SJ, Sachs D, Donovan S, Fragkoudis R, Haas JG, Tait-Burkard C. J Gen Virol. 2026 Feb;107(2). doi: 10.1099/jgv.0.002216. PMID: 41686868.

Snakebite envenoming is classified as a Neglected Tropical Disease and causes mortality, morbidity, and economic impacts for hundreds of thousands of people per year, particularly in tropical, low- and middle-income countries.

Most research on snakebite interventions focuses on improving clinical management rather than bite prevention. However, prevention may provide a better mechanism to minimise snakebite impacts.

This study, conducted by researchers from Global Agriculture and Food Systems in collaboration with colleagues from Uganda and Swansea, piloted community-engagement workshops in rural Uganda in 2022-23 that taught snake biology and behavior to prevent snakebites.

Surveys and semi-structured interviews were conducted, both with workshop attendees and non-attendees, after the the workshops. These showed that fear-driven attempts to kill snakes were common and sometimes led to bites.

They also showed that workshop attendance shifted attitudes toward “giving snakes space,” reduced intentions to kill snakes, and increased preference for hospital care after bites. 

The findings suggest participatory education can leverage and expand local knowledge to reduce human–snake conflict and snakebite risk.

Citation: Arbuckle, K.; Byaruhanga, Y.; Nichols, H.J.; Kaseke, C.M.; Mwanguhya, F.; Mitchell, J. Toxins 2026, 18, 78. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins18020078