1 Irish bTB eradication programme timeline
1.1 Recent timeline plot
Although the focus in the paper is on data from 2008-2024, here we go slightly further back to help understand important changes to the programme that happened in earlier years. Note, this is not an exhaustive list, but we believe it covers the majority of events and changes to policy that may have impacted bTB burden either directly or indirectly.
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1.2 Historic timeline plot (1988-2005)
The following image has been extracted from More SJ & Good M 2006 with permission.
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1.3 Spatial location and timeline of badger trials (after 2005)
The plot below does not include two badger trials that occurred much earlier:
- East Offaly project (1988–1995)
Ó Máirtín D, Williams DH, Griffin JM, Dolan L, Eves JA. The effect of a badger removal programme on the incidence of tuberculosis in an Irish cattle population. Preventive Veterinary Medicine. 1998;34:47–56. doi: 10.1016/s0167-5877(97)00067-6 The effect of a badger removal programme on the incidence of tuberculosis in an Irish cattle population https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167587797000676 1998
Eves JA. Impact of badger removal on bovine tuberculosis in east County Offaly. Irish Veterinary Journal. 1999;52:199–203
- Four area badger culling trial (1997 - 2002) (also known as reference area trial)
The impact of badger removal on the control of tuberculosis in cattle herds in Ireland. Griffin, J.M.,illiams,.H., Kelly, G.E.,legg,T.., O’Boyle, I.,ollins, J.. and More,.J. (2005). Preventive Veterinary Medicine 67: 237-266 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15748755/
Tuberculosis in cattle: the results of the four-area project Griffin et al. 2005 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3113914/pdf/2046-0481-58-11-629.pdf
Publications relating to these study interventions:
- Kilkenny badger vaccine field trial (2009 -2013)
Trial design to estimate the effect of vaccination on tuberculosis incidence in badgers. Aznar I, McGrath G, Murphy D, Corner LA, Gormley E, Frankena K, More SJ, Martin W, O’Keeffe J, De Jong MC. Vet Microbiol. 2011;151(1–2):104–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2011.02.032. Epub 2011 Feb 24. PMID: 21450420.
Oral vaccination of free-living badgers (Meles meles) with Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG) vaccine confers protection against tuberculosis. Gormley, E., Ni Bhuachalla, D., O’Keeffe, J., Murphy, D., Aldwell, F. E., Fitzsimons, T., Stanley, P., Tratalos, J. A., McGrath, G., Fogarty, N., Kenny, K., More, S. J., McV Messam, L. L., & Corner, L. A. L. (2017). PLoS ONE, 12(1), e0168851. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0168851
Quantification of Mycobacterium bovis transmission in a badger vaccine field trial. Prev Vet Med. 2018;149:29–37. Aznar I, Frankena K, More SJ, O’Keeffe J, McGrath G, de Jong MCM. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2017.10.010. (Epub 2017 Oct 24. PMID: 29290298).
Protective immunity against tuberculosis in a free-living badger population vaccinated orally with Mycobacterium bovis Bacille Calmette-Guérin Eamonn Gormley 1, Deirdre Ní Bhuachalla 1 2, Tara Fitzsimons 1, James O’Keeffe 2, Guy McGrath 3, Jamie M Madden 3, Naomi Fogarty 4, Kevin Kenny 4, Locksley L McV Messam 1, Denise Murphy 1 2, Leigh A L Corner 1 Transbound Emerg Dis. 2022 Jul;69(4):e10-e19. doi: 10.1111/tbed.14254. Epub 2021 Aug 13. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34331741/
- Non-inferiority trial (2011-2017)
Is moving from targeted culling to BCG-vaccination of badgers (Meles meles) associated with an unacceptable increased incidence of cattle herd tuberculosis in the Republic of Ireland? A practical non-inferiority wildlife intervention study in the Republic of Ireland (2011–2017). Martin SW, O’Keeffe J, Byrne AW, Rosen LE, White PW, McGrath G. Prev Vet Med. 2020;179: 105004. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2020.105004. (Epub 2020 Apr 14. PMID: 32361147).
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1.4 WOAH (World Organisation for Animal Health, founded as OIE), Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals
For official legislation of bTB testing, see
Chapter 3.1.13 of the Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals, thirteenth edition 2024
https://www.woah.org/fileadmin/Home/eng/Health_standards/tahm/A_summry.htm
1.5 List of EU-Audit reports (Sante F reports) for Ireland
- Health and Food Audits and Analysis, Sante F reports database https://ec.europa.eu/food/audits-analysis/audit-report/IE
Note, also search for “milk” to find reports for Milk and milk products as well because bTB did feature in these.
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1.6 Irish bTB eradication trends/timeline references
Watchorn, R.C.(1965). Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Scheme 1954-1965. Dublin: Department of Agriculture and Fisheries https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009378520
Robert O’Connor, 1986. A Study of the Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Scheme https://www.esri.ie/publications/a-study-of-the-bovine-tuberculosis-eradication-scheme
Sheehy, S.J., Christiansen, K.H., 1992. A cost/benefit analysis of future options for bovine tuberculosis control. Dublin: University College Dublin. https://researchrepository.ucd.ie/server/api/core/bitstreams/4c2b9eee-71b7-4d68-b718-f1cddf7e1f24/content
Good M. Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication in Ireland. 2006. Irish Veterinary Journal. 59(3):March 2006 https://www.bovinetb.info/docs/bovine-tuberculosis-eradication-in-ireland.pdf
More SJ, Good M. The tuberculosis eradication programme in Ireland: a review of scientific and policy advances since 1988. Vet Microbiol. 2006 Feb 25;112(2-4):239-51. doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2005.11.022. Epub 2005 Dec 6. PMID: 16337345. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378113505003986?via%3Dihub
Sheridan M. Progress in tuberculosis eradication in Ireland. Vet Microbiol. 2011 Jul 5;151(1-2):160-9. doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2011.02.040. Epub 2011 Mar 8. PMID: 21482040. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21482040/
Duignan A, Good M, More SJ. Quality control in the national bovine tuberculosis eradication programme in Ireland. Rev Sci Tech. 2012;31(3):845–60 https://doi.org/10.20506/rst.31.3.2166. PMID: 23520738
Sheridan, M., Good, M., More, S.J. and Gormley, E., 2014. The impact of an integrated wildlife and bovine tuberculosis eradication program in Ireland. Zoonotic Tuberculosis: Mycobacterium bovis and Other Pathogenic Mycobacteria, Third Edition, pp.323-340.https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781118474310.ch28
More SJ, Houtsma E, Doyle L, McGrath G, Clegg TA, de la Rua-Domenech R, Duignan A, Blissitt MJ, Dunlop M, Schroeder PG, Pike R, Upton P. Further description of bovine tuberculosis trends in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, 2003-2015. Vet Rec. 2018 Dec 15;183(23):717. doi: 10.1136/vr.104718. Epub 2018 Nov 28. PMID: 30487295; PMCID: PMC6312888. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30487295/
DAFM bTB eradication programme (New Bovine TB Testing Requirements for animal movements etc) http://www.bovinetb.ie/
Maher, P., Good, M. & More, S. Trends in cow numbers and culling rate in the Irish cattle population, 2003 to 2006. Ir Vet J 61, 455 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1186/2046-0481-61-7-455
1.6.1 Northern Ireland
Robinson PA. A history of bovine tuberculosis eradication policy in Northern Ireland. Epidemiol Infect. 2015 Nov;143(15):3182-95. doi: 10.1017/S0950268815000291. Epub 2015 Mar 17. PMID: 25778830; PMCID: PMC9150964. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25778830/