Australian researchers have developed a world-first foot-and-mouth disease vaccine which could be pivotal in protecting livestock around the country
A world-first foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine has been developed by the New South Wales government and international biotechnology leader Tiba BioTech to protect Australia’s livestock industries and food supply.
While Australia is one of a few countries currently free of the highly infectious viral disease which affects cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs, estimates suggest a widespread outbreak could cost the Australian economy up to $80 billion with a significant impact on meat supply and exports.
Now that a vaccine has been developed, it aims to protect communities from the potential impact of FMD on the supply of meat and milk into Australian supermarkets due to reducing domestic livestock, disrupted processing and transport, and potential shortages for consumers.
The development of the vaccine also means Australia is now one of only a handful of countries with the local capacity to produce a FMD vaccine.
Unlike traditional vaccines, this FMD variant is a fully synthetic mRNA vaccine, which makes it safer and much faster to produce. Using this technique, the vaccine can be manufactured without the use of infectious material, which is important for safely managing an outbreak.
“This vaccine research investment plays a vital role in protecting Australia’s multi-billion-dollar livestock industries, safeguarding the communities that depend on them and maintaining access to critical export markets,” NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development virology laboratory manager Peter Kirkland says.
“There is no mRNA vaccine currently registered for use in livestock in Australia and delivering the first shows the way for the nation’s research and development sector.”
In recent overseas trials, vaccinated cattle exposed to the virus did not contract the disease and did not shed the virus to infect others.
Further testing is now underway to demonstrate if it meets the standards set by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) before it can be approved for use in an emergency if there was a national FMD outbreak.
“If this mRNA vaccine now moves to being approved by the APVMA, it would offer biosecurity advantages,” Kirkland says.
“It would allow Australia the ability to differentiate between vaccinated and infected animals, which could support a speedier return to normal domestic production and international trade in the event of an emergency animal disease outbreak.”
The vaccine has taken less than 18 months to develop and has cost around $2.5 million, as part of a $20 million project funded by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and the NSW state government.
